The Miseducation of Lady Fei
by jadedcauldron
Summary: A gilded cage is still a cage but a miraculous decision has given Fei a chance to spread her wings and fly! She can finally go beyond the palace walls and see the world...But is she ready and is the world ready for her? (Set in the Marauders era - Year 1 & 2 and dabbles in Chinese mythology. Eventual Sirius/OC but slow burn if that. Will focus more on friendship.)
1. A Fortunate Meeting

_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_  
_Teach us something, please..._

* * *

**Ch. 1 - A Fortunate Meeting**

_April 4, 1971 - The Locked City of Cathay_

Fei - or Lady Fei-Ying Yun as the palace elves proclaimed during formal occasions - hated a lot of things.

For one, she hated people. They were all the same. Everyone she had ever come across or heard about would do anything for a little royal treatment. No one was nice to any member of her family unless they wanted something. That was an undeniable fact that also applied to the ones in her own immediate family - all nine of them. Nineteen if Fei counted her father's wives and consorts.

Fei has heard it all. How many times had one royal consort allied with another and then once the first was promoted, she would completely abandon the one who helped her gain her higher status? How many times has she heard one uncle accuse another one of disclosing an important secret just to look good in the Emperor's eyes? Enough times for Fei to learn that the best thing to do in surviving life in the palace is to trust no one and to keep one's mouth shut.

People also got worked up over the silliest things. Fei realized almost straight off the bat because of how people treated her since she was born. It was not her fault that she was the eighth child of the eighth child and in the eighth generation of her family. She was coined the Auspicious Child and thus gained what she called privately "Auspicious Child Perks". The one perk that seemed to harp on everyone was the most was that that the Emperor actually visited her on her birthday. Just the fact that he knew her name without any prompts had set her apart from all of her female cousins and most of her male ones.

The children that actually befriended her ended up only doing so because their parents, or themselves, hoped being near her would gain some positive attention from the Emperor. If not for personal gain, they would be nice to her out of fear of repercussions since the Royal Seer had advised the Emperor that if the Auspicious Child were to live a hard life, it would mean hardship as well for all of them.

People were the worst.

Second of all, Fei hated that she was born a girl. Even with her "Auspicious Child Perks", being a girl meant that she had to divide her time learning real subjects so that she would practice her calligraphy and dancing. The boys didn't have to worry about any of that. They could spend as much time as they wanted on charms, the history of their kingdom, and, most importantly to Fei, the study of magical beasts.

Fei might hate people but she loved animals, birds especially. Fei knew it was because she grew up with Xiao, her pet crane, at her side. He was her best friend and she knew that if he could speak, he would agree with her. They were inseparable for as long as she could remember and at times, she even thought she could read his thoughts and he could read hers.

Whenever she could slip away from her studies and her family, Fei and Xiao would always sneak off to the Royal Aviary in one of the Emperor's gardens. It was her favorite place in the palace and since she had never left the palace, it might as well be her favorite place in the whole world.

Being a girl also meant that Fei could not be part of the Expanse, an event that only occurs every two hundred years where the kingdom of Cathay opens its doors and allows only a chosen few male descendants to go out to the world, learn all they could, and bring back that knowledge. Cathay had separated from the outside world, both magical and Muggle, many centuries ago and this was the only time anyone in the kingdom was allowed to leave. The Expanse was taking place this year.

At least, Fei thought glumly, I don't have to participate in any ceremony or traditions for that.

Those she hated the most. She would give anything not to have to attend another blessing of another royal newborn or go kneel through another mind and leg numbing Lunar New Year banquet. She would feign illness like the Crown Prince's third wife constantly did, but that would mean she would have to be on bed rest for a full day and miss out on either going to the aviary or the royal library to read about magical creatures.

Thus, when the palace elf especially assigned to her - an "Auspicious Child Perk", Po, informed her that the Emperor decided that for this year's Qingming Festival, only the male descendants need to attend, she was overjoyed. Not having to be with her family for a Tomb Sweeping Ceremony? For the first time in her life, she was glad of her gender.

She was so eager to get to the aviary with Xiao that she almost didn't hear her siblings chatter excitedly about the Expanse during breakfast.

"I bet the Crown Prince won't be allowed to go," Fei's third brother said. He was a short and round 14 year old boy who often stole food off of Fei's plate when he thought she wouldn't notice, which she always did, "He's too important…Imagine him out there exposed to... Muggles. "

The sibling shared a somber silence. There had not been a Muggle inside the kingdom of centuries but everyone knew that if they spotted one, they had to stay as far away from them as possible. Muggles were unclean and were bringers of death.

The two palace elves assigned to take care of the royal children used that moment to hurriedly refill the plates with assorted toppings for their rice porridge - pickled radishes, mashed seaweed, dried squid. The children sat around a wooden circular table with an intricate mother of pearl inlay depicting a crane amongst peonies. Their stools had similar markings. They ate from white porcelain bowls filled with rice porridge and spoons made of ivory from a Cloud Mammoth's tusks. Enchanted golden chopsticks floated around the table, picking out the toppings the children wanted and placing it into their bowls.

"He won't get picked. He's too old," Fei's second sister said. She was a slim and pretty 16-year-old, who was already promised to wed some powerful magistrate's son. Her age and her secured future made her act like the grown-up of the group. Fei's eldest brother and eldest sister were both already 18 so they had moved out of their house earlier that year. One was preparing to be a royal advisor to the Emperor and the other was enjoying being a newlywed, "Remember, the whole purpose of the Expanse is to learn the ways of the outside world. It needs to be a child. A child's mind absorbs information faster."

"But they have to choose an adult to go with them as a guardian," Fei's fourth brother said. He was 12 years old and liked to kick his ball against the wall when Fei was trying to sleep, "What if they choose the Crown Prince?"

"Like I said, I bet Emperor Grandfather will forbid him to go," Fei's third brother said and then drank down his bowl of rice porridge in one big gulp.

"If I get chosen," Fei's fifth brother, who was the same age as Fei but two months older, said as he motioned for his chopsticks to grab some more pickled radish for his porridge, "I'd pick our third uncle for sure. He's fun. Much more fun to be around than Father."

"It would be unfilial and dishonorable to not choose our own Father," Third Brother lectured.

"We'll see for ourselves tonight," Third Sister said as she tried to feed a spoonful of porridge to their youngest sister, a one-year-old. Third Sister was 13 years old and showed much more affection to the baby than she ever did with Fei. The baby and Third Sister shared the same mother so Fei knew it was more to do with their shared parentage than of who Fei was.

However, Fei was bothered by what Third Sister had just said.

"What?" she asked. The children around the circular table all jumped in surprise. It was rare for Fei to speak and even rarer for her to engage in conversation with them. Fei stared straight at her Third Sister until the 13-year-old shifted uncomfortably on her stool.

"What do you mean we'll see for ourselves tonight?" Fei clarified.

"Oh. You came in late for breakfast so you didn't hear the Emperor's decree this morning," Fei's youngest brother said. Fei kept quiet and did not point out she was only late because she was cleaning up the mess he made in their shared room. Po was most distraught when he saw her doing so and had insisted she go to breakfast and let him take care of the rest but at that point, she was already halfway done.

It would be a waste of her breath to tell all of this to her brother so instead, she just turned her attention to her second sister, someone Fei knew would take great delight in divulging important information to the ignorant.

"What did it say?" Fei asked.

"The participants of The Expanse will be decided tonight in the Hall of Supremacy and Grandfather Emperor has decided all descendants, male and female, must attend," Second Sister said, rising to the occasion, "So you should make sure to dress appropriately. I've heard that we'll even have a few special guests from the outside world attending to see who will get picked to go to their kingdoms."

She leaned in a bit closer to Fei and Fei could feel her eyes scan her from head to toe.

"You should think about tying up your hair too," her sister advised, "Something more formal."

Fei didn't respond to that. Her hair was just fine the way it was. She had the front part of her hair tied into a small bun behind her head, secured with a jade hairpin shaped like a crane, and the rest of her long, black hair hung loose right down to her waist.

"But...if it's only males that are able to go, why do we need to go?" Fei asked, "It's not like we'll be chosen."

Second Sister looked at Fei in surprise. "Don't you want to be there in case such a high honor is bestowed on someone from our family?"

_Not really_, Fei thought but shrugged in silence instead. She pushed her bowl away and then excused herself from the table. She had lost her appetite. It was bad enough she had to kneel through another ceremony. Now she had to watch others get to do what she desperately wanted more than anything in the world - to go and actually see it.

When she got to the family courtyard, Xiao greeted her by immediately lowering his long neck and touching his beak to the cobblestones. There was a red spot at the top of his white crown. It was the only part of him that was red. The rest of him was white, save for a little black that ran down his neck and along the tips of his wings. When he righted himself back up, he stood importantly at six feet tall. He ruffled his feathers and then bent his long legs so that Fei could climb on his back.

She sat with her legs dangling from his left side, her silk slippered feet hanging in the air. Her hossu, a bamboo staff with a bundle of long, white hairs sprouting from the top, was tucked safely in her white silk waistband that held her robes together.

"I have to go to court tonight," Fei said miserably as he flew off towards the Royal Aviary.

Xiao responded with a trill that was a melodic arpeggio but going downward.

"I know," Fei sighed, "But at least we don't need to go to the Royal Crypts this afternoon."

Xiao responded with the same notes and then they fell into silence as they soared over the city, high up in the clouds and hidden from sight. The spring air rushed past Fei's hair, face, and robes. The sleeves of her sky blue ruqun whipped behind her, the extra fabric billowing against her sides. They fluttered even more violently when she let go of her grip on Xiao's shoulders and raised her arms. She closed her eyes and savored every second of the wind, the stillness, and the freedom.

When they arrived at the Royal Aviary, she was not surprised to see Po already standing on the bridge that led to it. The aviary was a circular gazebo that stood in the middle of a big pond covered with lily pads. There were no wires or mesh between the bamboo slats as it was enchanted so that the herons and cranes inside could not escape. The entrance was an archway with two birds carved at the top of the frame. One was a crane, the other a phoenix. Inside the enclosure, four palace elves in green silk raced around, tending the birds and receiving or delivering the messages they brought in.

"Lady Fei! I did not find you in your room after your meal so I came here," Po said with a deep bow. He was wrapped in a purple silk that used to be Fei's blanket and tied with a white cord. He was a rather young elf, compared to the majority of palace elves assigned to the family. He had been promoted from the kitchens when Fei was born. The older and more experienced palace elves always went to the heirs higher up in line for the throne and Fei was number 96.

Po was also much bigger than the other elves as well in that despite his lean limbs, he had a small potbelly and equally rounded cheeks. It was more to do with Fei sharing her meals with him from time to time than his previous position. An Auspicious Child Perk was that she got more servings than others and she thought it a waste.

"I didn't ask so there is no need to explain," Fei replied but then gave him a pat on the shoulder as she walked towards the aviary, "There is no need for you to come. I am perfectly fine with Xiao. You can take it easy if you'd like."

Po straightened up and smiled broadly, revealing crooked but pearly white teeth. "Thank you, Lady Fei, but I actually came here to make sure you drank this." He snapped his fingers and a handleless, green teacup made of porcelain appeared in his coarse hands. Smoke started to billow out from the top and down to the ground. "Broth made from the bones of a Babble Fish. The kitchen elves made some this morning for the Emperor, his male descendants, and the special guests from the outside world. I asked them to save me some for you."

"Why me? What does it do?"

Po's smile stretched all the way to his long ears that had one gold hoop dangling from his right ear. "If you drink this, then you will be able to understand the foreign tongues of our visitors."

Fei frowned. "But...But I won't be needing to talk to any of them."

"Don't you want to know what they are saying tonight?"

"Does it matter? It's not like it'll affect me," Fei asked and then when she noticed the crestfallen expression on his face, she understood, "You wish to know the details of what happens tonight."

Po lowered his head and a blush came to his face. "I-I know I cannot ask of you the details but if L-Lady Fei could maybe..."

Fei rolled her eyes. "Why do you want to know, Po? It'll only make you sadder knowing that you can't go with them."

"Oh! But to get the details, any details, will help me imagine what is out there…" Po said as he looked up at the sky and blinked big, watery brown eyes at the clouds, "That shall suffice for me."

Fei sighed and then slowly nodded her head. "Alright. I'll tell you everything but I still don't want to drink that stuff."

"Wise choice. It has an awful texture and after taste...like if you drank coffee grounds doused in lemon water," a soft voice chuckled from behind her.

Fei whirled around and blinked rapidly. The oddest looking man Fei had ever seen came strolling out of the aviary. He was tall, thin, and, judging by the color and the length of his hair and beard, was extremely old. He wore a robe that Fei had only seen drawn on ancient scrolls. It was different from the one she wore in that it was one piece and looked very heavy. He also had a purple cloak wrapped around him. The fastener was hidden behind his silvery beard. He had on half-moon spectacles that perched at the tip of his long and crooked nose. His blue eyes twinkled as he smiled at Fei, tucked his hands in his sleeves, and bowed at the waist.

"I've been instructed to greet members of the royal family like this," he said, "However, if you are not a member, then consider this me practicing until one of them comes along."

"I…" Fei started to say and then snapped her mouth shut. It was the first time in a while that her mind had gone blank. Then she remembered what her siblings had said and then a thought came to mind, "You are here for the Expanse."

"Yes," the man said, "May I...stand up now? I fear that at my age, there is a chance that I'll get stuck like this if I hold this posture any longer."

"Oh, yes. You can stand," Fei said and when the man straightened up she frowned at him, "Wait! You are speaking Cathayan. H-How?"

"It is fortunate that Cathayan is a mix of Mandarin Chinese and Mongolian. Thankfully, I am fluent in both so it was not hard to put it all together, especially with the help of the bone broth. It was why I felt it best for me to be the representative of my school...Although, between you and me, there was a particular Professor who was most eager to volunteer for this position," the man chuckled again. "And who might you be?"

Po cleared his throat and stepped to his mistress' side. "This is Lady-"

Fei put a hand on Po's shoulder to stop him. "It's okay, Po. I'm not the one that will be going so there is no need for him to learn my name and who I am. Just like it will make no difference to me who he is. It does not benefit either of us in any way."

"What an interesting way to look at it," the man said.

Fei lifted a shoulder and then let it drop.

Suddenly, a sound of strong wings flapping stirred through the aviary, and then a phoenix swooped out to perch on the man's now raised arm. His talons and beak were gleaming gold and his feathers were crimson red. Fei's jaw dropped. It was the first time she had seen one in real life and it looked even more majestic than any artwork, carving, and embroidery. He let out a loud squawk and the man smiled at it.

"It seems Fawkes is getting a little jealous that I've turned my attention away from-" He stopped short when Fei walked right up to the phoenix and held out a bright green leaf she had pulled out from under her sash. His eyes twinkled once more. "That is very generous of you but Fawkes is a very picky eater."

Xiao came to her side and extended his neck so that he was eye level to the phoenix. The birds talked to one another in a duet of trills and squawks and when it was done, Fawkes lowered his head and nipped the leaf out of her hand.

"It is a leaf from a Night Nelumbo. It's part of a flower that only blooms during a rainy night with a full moon," Fei said more to the phoenix than to the man, "It's Xiao's favorite. I think it helps with their feathers. I noticed he malts less when he eats them. When I eat it, I can see farther."

"You have eaten this yourself?" the man asked quietly.

"I had to," Fei replied as she stroked Fawkes with awe in her eyes, "I didn't want him to eat anything that might've been dangerous so I tested it first."

The man looked at Xiao, who was starting to eye Fei's hand. "Vermillion Cranes...a rare bird of longevity and faithfulness. A friend of it is a friend for life."

"And purity," Fei added, sensing her bird's rising jealousy and using her other hand to stroke his neck, "A call from them could purify basic curses and hexes. They can sense someone who's cursed as well."

"Ah yes," the man said, "They are a distant cousin to the phoenix. One heals and one cleanses...And how did you come about it?"

"It was a gift from the Emperor when I was born," Fei admitted and then she looked back at the man. It was clear that the phoenix was well taken care of so that earned him Fei's respect and civility, "I'm the eighth child of his eighth child and I'm part of the eighth generation since the First Emperor. In our culture, eight is a very auspicious number."

"Quite. A precious gift for a fortunate child," the man said.

"I don't think I am fortunate," Fei replied, "Otherwise, I'd be a boy."

The man did not respond to that. Instead, he spent the rest of his time in the aviary responding to the questions Fei had about the phoenix. Things like how to take care of one, what really happens when he dies, and how did he convince the phoenix to settle for him.

The man had a good laugh at the last question. "I must not have made as good of an impression on you as Fawkes clearly has."

Fei had the decency to blush. "It's not that...It just...From what I've read," she said slowly, trying to get her thoughts in order, "A phoenix is very smart and if I was smart and I could fly...well...I wouldn't need to be with anyone. I would be free and on my own."

The man studied her for a little longer and then he motioned for Fawkes to get off his arm. When the phoenix stood on the floor in front of the girl, the man clasped his hands behind his back. "My arm was getting dreadfully sore. I don't think I'm as strong as I used to be. Now...I have some business to attend to. Will you keep an eye on Fawkes while I'm gone?"

Fei's eyes widened.

"Mind you," he said with a wink, "Fawkes has a real keen sense of hearing, so do not fret if he flies off suddenly. It would most likely be because he heard me call for him."

"Y-Yes, I'd be honored to look after him," Fei whispered, "Thank you."

"No," the man said as he started to walk away, "Thank you ."

Fei returned her attention to Fawkes and in doing so, she did not notice that the man looked over his shoulder at the carvings above the entryway. Each of the birds reflected in his spectacles - one bird on each lens. "Fortunate indeed..."

* * *

_Author's Notes:_

_\- Cathay and the Locked City are loosely based on ancient China and the Forbidden City but I have taken a lot of liberties._  
_\- In traditional Chinese, her name would be said as Yun Fei-Ying (雲飛鶯) but to avoid confusion of what her first name is (and what the readers shall refer to her as), I decided to write out as Fei-Ying Yun._  
_\- The number 8 (八) in Chinese sounds like the word for fortune/growth (發) so is considered a lucky number. Meanwhile, the number four (四) sounds like death (死) so is very unlucky._


	2. The Dragon Urn

**Ch. 2 - The Dragon Urn**

True to what the man said, Fei only had two hours with the phoenix before Fawkes took off without warning. Fei was not bothered by it but she was saddened that her time with such a legendary creature was cut short. She thought about it throughout her lunch, read about it in the library, and discussed it with Xiao and Po until it was finally time to go to the Hall of Sanctuary with her family and see who would be chosen for The Expanse.

Fei stood in the center of the family courtyard with her family gathered around a large stone stove. Po and Xiao stood near the east wall with the rest of the palace elves and familiars. The stove had a circular opening at the top and a fire roared beneath it. Much to Fei's dismay, she was forced to wear a fancy, yellow ruqun with a white top piece. The whole family was wearing yellow in some way.

_As if everyone needed reminding who we were..._Fei thought to herself.

Her father, a thin man with a thin, black beard that was trimmed neatly to a point just slightly below his chin, motioned for his palace elf to come forward. The elf obeyed and threw in some green powder into the fire, making it burst into bright green flames.

Her father stepped onto the edge of the stone stove and shouted, "Hall of Supremacy!"

When he hopped into the flame and disappeared from sight, his family members did the same, one by one, in order of seniority. By the time it was Fei's turn, there was only her younger brother left. All infants and those unable to stand, or more importantly, kneel, were to stay behind with the palace elves.

The family appeared on the front steps of the Hall of Supremacy. It sat over 50 meters above the courtyard, where guards in red robes stood in rows beneath the building. The hall itself was held up by only a single red pillar. Only royal family members were allowed to travel through the stove in the palace. Everyone else had to Apparate to the front gate and wait for the guards to raise the barrier and enchant the stones from the courtyard to create a stairwell for them. Fei had only seen them do that once a year during the Lunar New Year celebration where the Emperor blessed the nation and fortified the warding spell that protected its borders.

The Hall of Supremacy was rectangular shaped and had 9 red pillars adorned with golden letterings around the outer walls. Five golden dragon statues perched at the base of the front five pillars, their eyes peering over the edge and down at Fei's family as they entered.

Inside, there were more guards lined across the walls, which hung silk tapestries with rare magical creatures embroidered on them with golden thread. They moved through the fabric, following different groups that caught their attention. One particular qilin, a horned creature with a head of a dragon and a body of a horse, pranced across the tapestries, following Fei's family as they entered. As he moved, though, more and more creatures seemed to follow along and by the time Fei's family had settled into their usual spot in the hall, there were two qilins, three phoenixes, a dragon, and five cranes crammed together in one tapestry peering down at them. It paled in comparison to the group of creatures that were watching the Crown Prince's family but it was still the largest out of all the princes that shared rank with Fei's father.

The throne itself was made of gold with dragons carved all around it. It sat at the center of the room, at the top of a platform accessible through seven steps. It was surrounded by 6 pillars of thick lacquered gold adorned with dragons. There were silvery-white cranes and incense burners shaped like a tortoise on each side of the throne. The Royal Advisor, an elderly man wearing a maroon and white ruqun, stood on the top step along with the Royal Seer, an equally old man wearing an emerald and white ruqun.

The family took their place amongst the other Prince of the Fourth Ranks and their families. However, Fei's family was at the front of their section despite her father being the youngest of the group - another "Auspicious Child Perk". The room was getting quite full but still, there was a clear path down the center between the throne and the door.

The Crown Prince, a bulky man who resembled a catfish both in lips and facial hair, was at the front, by the bottom steps with his family and to the right of the aisle. To the left of the aisle were the special and foreign guests. Among them was the man Fei met at the Aviary. He stood right by the aisle, across from the Crown Prince. It was a position of the highest honor.

The sound of a gong signaled that the ceremony was to start and everyone got to their knees. They lowered their heads as the Emperor of Cathay took his seat on the throne. His hair was pure white and his beard that stretched down to his naval made his already long face seem gaunt. The headdress perched on his head was square and boxlike with beads of pearls hanging down from the top, stopping right at his hairline.

"The Emperor has arrived!" announced the Emperor's personal palace elf, Fu. An ancient creature whose wrinkles piled up in a way that hid his lips when he wasn't talking.

"May the Emperor reign ten-thousand years!" his family and subjects called out.

"You may rise," the Emperor said and everyone straightened their backs but continued to kneel on the floor.

Fu snapped his fingers and a jade urn appeared in the center of the room. It had a dragon carved around the bowl as if guarding and protecting whatever it contained and the dragon's tail wrapped around the thick pedestal in which the bowl sat on.

"This is the year of the Expanse," the Emperor declared, "And tonight we will discover who will be chosen to represent our kingdom and bring back honor and power to us all. The Dragon Urn will reveal to us those chosen and once your name is called, rise and meet the representative of your destination. Now…Give your offerings, my sons."

"Yes, Father Emperor!" the princes shouted. They encircled the urn. Fu snapped his fingers and a golden blade with a dragon at its hilt appeared in front of the Crown Prince. He took it, cut his finger, and pressed a droplet of blood into the basin. The blade was passed around the brothers and they did the same.

When they returned to their spots, the Emperor called out again. "And you, special guests! Provide the requirements of which you'll need to provide the best education to the one that is chosen."

"Yes, Your Highness," the guests replied in mixed languages. They each pulled out a scroll that was tied together by a red string and then dropped it into the urn. When the last one was placed by the man in the Aviary, a golden flame emerged from the bowl and silvery smoke floated up to the ceiling. When it hit the gilded tiles, the ceiling changed to that of a starry sky filled with bright stars, comets, and hazy light streaks of different colors.

The dragon around the basin started to move. The sapphire embedded in his eye gleamed as it unfurled itself and soared as if trying to touch the stars. Then it descended towards the Emperor, up the throne steps and then rested it's opened jaw right at the Emperor's right hand. The Emperor reached in and pulled out a scroll, burnt around the edges, and tied with a red string.

"Lord Yu Jian Yun," the Emperor read and the fourth son of Fei's seventh uncle stood up, bowed, and walked to the aisle. He walked past the urn and waited in front of the throne, "Mahoutokoro School of Magic."

The representative of that school got up, bowed, and then met the boy at the center. Then the two of them bowed again towards the Emperor.

"And who do you choose as your guardian?" the Emperor asked.

"My father, Lord Lee-Ming, Prince of the Fourth Rank," the boy replied.

Said prince got up and joined them at the front. He bowed and then the three of them headed towards the back, where there was a separate room for them to discuss and plan. Not once did the Emperor look up from the scroll. It was as if he did not notice nor did he care who went where as long as they did.

The Emperor continued. The ninth son of Fei's second uncle went with the representative of Ilvermorny. The fifteenth son of the Crown Prince was assigned to Castelobruxo. Every one of them chose their father as their guardian. On and on it went until there was no special guest left except for the man from the aviary.

The Emperor reached into the dragon one last time and he pulled out the scroll. "Lord Fei-," the Emperor started to say and then his eyes widened. His mouth clamped shut. His cheeks puffed out as if he was trying to contain the sound of the name. He turned white as a sheet and then he shakily lowered the scroll.

"FEI-YING YUN?!" he roared incredulously.

A chorus of gasps and shouts spread through the hall. Fu let out a surprised squeak and had to catch himself before toppling down the throne stairs.

"Is this a joke?" Second Sister hissed, glaring at Fei from over her shoulder, "How dare you make a mockery of this! If you bring shame upon this family and destroy my marriage contract, I'll-"

"But...I didn't," Fei whispered, "I couldn't...F-Father?"

But Fei's Father did not say anything. His fists were balled in his lap and he had gone quite purple in the face. His whole body trembled with fury. He couldn't even make himself turn to look at his daughter.

"Fourth Sister, " Fei's youngest brother squeaked at her side and jabbed her hard on the side with his elbow, "Stand up. You have to stand up!"

But Fei was too numb with shock and fear to move. She could feel the anger and judgment coming from everyone and she was afraid if her eyes met any of theirs, she would burst into tears.

"FEI-YING YUN!" The Emperor had now stood up from his seat and everyone groveled to the floor, in an attempt to appease his anger.

Fei squeezed her eyes shut and sucked in a breath before shakily shouting to the floor, "Yes, Grandfather?"

Everyone seemed to freeze. No one seemed to breathe and they waited expectantly for the unknown.

"Rise!" The Emperor demanded, "Stand up!"

Fei quickly got to her feet but kept her head bowed. Her hands were clasped in front of her in hopes to stop them from shaking but it was no use.

The hall erupted into a screaming match, accusing Fei's family of either dabbling in dark magic or trying to bring shame to the family. Fei tried hard not to flinch with every insult hurled their way but it was getting worse and worse. It wasn't that she was hurt by the words. She was angry because they were accusing her of something she knew they would do in a heartbeat if they could.

"Someone in her family must've done it then. Pitiful! Using the Auspicious Child for their own benefit."

"You've pressed your luck. Trying to make a name for yourself by using her! Shameful!"

"SILENCE!" the Emperor ordered and everyone went back to groveling. Everyone except for Fei and the man from the aviary, which the Emperor did not seem to mind. He took notice of Fei more calmly this time and after a moment of silence, he spoke again - soft but warningly, "Tell me, child, did you tamper with the urn somehow?"

Fei shook her head fervently.

"Gaozu?" the Emperor called out in the same tone and then waited for Fei's father to rise. He raised an eyebrow. "Did you do anything to it?"

"Of course not, Father Emperor!" Fei's Father shouted and immediately got back to his knees, begging for mercy, "I would never dare tamper with the most sacred of traditions! Th-The child must have found a way and thought she could get away with it. She has been taking advantage of your love and generosity all these years, after all."

Fei let out a strangled cry. "No! Grandfather Emperor, I have never-"

"Be quiet, child! Do not speak out of turn!" Fei's Father scolded with his head still on the ground.

Fei's eyes started to sting and squeezed her fingers to the point that she could feel the blood stop flowing to the tips. The silence was deafening to her. No one was speaking out on her behalf even though if anyone thought about it logically, it would be impossible for her to meddle with the Dragon Urn in any way. She could barely levitate a calligraphy brush during her lessons and her cousins knew that.

She had never been angrier and more scared in her life.

Suddenly, the jade dragon moved. It reared its head and flew away from the Emperor's side. It's long body slithered and it's sharp talons pawed the air until it was circling right above Fei's head. It's jeweled eyes gleamed once more and it opened its jaws as if to let out a mighty roar.

The Emperor, who was leaning as far back in his seat, went completely white. His audience members were either screaming, crawling as far away from the dragon as possible, or had fainted completely. Everyone except for the remaining foreign guest and Fei, who stood unmoved. One out of fear and one out of something entirely different.

The guest bowed at the waist to the Emperor and his eyes twinkled behind his half-moon spectacles. "The Dragon Urn is ancient and sacred magic beyond either of our knowledge. Maybe it is not wise to question it."

"Wh...What say you, Royal Advisor?" the Emperor croaked after the dragon showed no signs of moving and, thankfully, no signs of attacking.

His Royal Advisor prostrated himself and his whole body shook as he spoke. "The Dragon Urn utilizes the purest magic from Heaven itself! Its magic is absolute, Your Majesty."

"And you, Royal Seer?"

"S-S-She is the Auspicious Child," the Royal Seer whimpered, "I-It is just as I foretold! Her destiny runs parallel to the kingdom itself! If she shall rise, then so shall Cathay!"

There was a long tense silence. Fei could feel her heart beating out of her chest. She mustered all her courage to look up at the dragon, but it was unmoving. His attention was fixed entirely on the Emperor.

"As the Royal Advisor has stated, the Dragon Urn's magic is absolute even I cannot deny it...and if this is the will of the Heavens to send the Auspicious Child away as the Seer has foretold...Then I will honor it's a decision," the Emperor said hesitantly, "Fei-Ying Yun will be going to —"

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," the man in the aviary stated with a smile on his face.

Fei felt like she had just surfaced after being close to drowning. The weight lifted off her chest and her knees knocked together.

_I-It's over. I'm saved._

The dragon seemed to find this conclusion sufficient and it wrapped itself back around the bowl.

It took almost half an hour for everyone to recover and regain their senses. When everything seemed back to normal, The Emperor moved his attention back to Fei, who was still finding it a little difficult to breathe. "Fei Ying-Yun, are you aware of the celebrated acts of Salazar Slytherin?"

Fei nodded. She knew that Master Slytherin played an integral part in helping Cathay separate from the Muggle world many years before. He was a hero in their history scrolls. However, she did not speak. The Emperor had not given her permission and she had yet to find her voice. The crowd began to stir, unable to contain their thoughts and alarms any longer, and the Emperor knew he had better wrap it up before he lost his temper at his own family.

"Well?!" he shouted at Fei a bit too harshly than he intended, "What are you waiting for?! Go on!"

Fei's head bobbed and then she practically ran down the aisle towards her new teacher. She was ecstatic with the outcome but fearful that it would be taken away just as quickly as it was given. They both bowed to the Emperor.

"And?" the Emperor asked, "Who will accompany you as your guardian?"

Fei didn't need to think about it. She was about to leave the only place she knew and it was a place that was not familiar with anyone like her. She had to have someone who understood her. Someone who she didn't mind being around and most importantly, someone she trusted. There was only one person.

"Po!"

Her father, who was already in the middle of standing up, stumbled and fell right on top of one of her cousins, while Fei heard her siblings cry out in shock.

"Who is Po?" The Emperor asked.

With a loud crack, the palace elf appeared right next to her and he seemed just as shocked to see everyone as they were to see him. He immediately crumpled to the floor just as Fu toppled right off the steps in a dead faint.

The Emperor got over his shock and then chuckled as if he had just solved the puzzle. "My dear child, you can take palace elves with you, regardless."

"I know," Fei said.

The Emperor's jaw dropped but before he could say anything, the teacher chuckled and patted Fei on the head while giving the palace elf a reassuring smile. "Po is more than welcome to come with you to my school and be with the house elves there. We can discuss the logistics of that later…However, Lady Fei, I do suggest you pick a human adult to accompany you." Then he lowered his voice so only Fei could hear. "I assure you, once you start school, your time with him or her would be minimal."

His smile was warm and he sounded sincere but Fei was too wary to take his word for it right then and there. However, this was her ticket out and she was not stupid enough to let it past by for something like a chaperone.

"Fine. I'll choose Father then. Lord Gaozu Yun, Prince of the Fourth Rank," she said, making it clear in her tone that she thought it a concession to bring him along.

The Emperor ignored the titterings and giggles from his family while Fei's father huffed and puffed with indignance as he made his way to the front. Being second choice to a palace elf was just as worse as not being chosen at all.

As the three of them walked to the backroom, Fei noticed a wand sticking out from the inside pocket of her teacher's cloak. It was odd since she knew that magical instruments were banned in the Hall of Supremacy and only the Emperor, the Royal Advisor and Seer, and the guards were allowed to have it.

It was most curious indeed but Fei did not question it at that moment because she knew if she was patient...if she waited just a bit longer, she could ask all the questions she wanted.

* * *

_Author's Note: The Hall of Supremacy is based on the __Throne Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City._

Answering some questions about her choice in chaperone. She could only choose her father because it was "the right thing to do" in her family's eyes and it was her only choice. Her other brothers were too young and her sisters being female are not an option. She cannot choose her elder brother because since he is being trained to be a royal advisor, it means he is no longer considered a "royal member of the family". He is now more of a civilian/"government official", which is what children descended from royalty could actually choose to do in Ancient China with the Emperor's blessing. (Also, that is why he was not at the ceremony).


	3. A Simple Greeting

**Ch. 3 - A Simple Greeting**

_July 31, 1971 - Wiltshire, England_

Callista Malfoy knew what everyone was saying behind her back - that she only married for wealth and the Malfoy name, that she was nothing more than a social climber, that without her husband, Abraxas Malfoy, there would be no point for anyone to speak to her. Still, she thought to herself as she took the hands of Farina Goyle and pretended to care about whatever that thick-headed woman was prattling on about, everyone also said that she threw the greatest parties.

And this one is going to be the best one yet. Callista would see to that. She had made extra effort this time. She had transformed the walls of the parlor in Malfoy Manor from its usual purple to a forest green for the occasion. She did like how it accented the almost golden color of the wooden panels. She had the house elves clean the chandelier at least three times that morning to ensure that it glittered like diamonds off of the light enchantment. The portraits around the room had been switched from the landscapes of the countryside and men on horseback to portraits of prominent members of the Malfoy family throughout history.

Everything had to be perfect, especially tonight.

"Oh. We were just so thrilled when we saw the owl - not that we had our doubts, mind you. Still, there's nothing like the feeling of getting your Hogwarts letter. I'm sure our Gavin will think of this memory fondly for years to come," Farina was saying. She was a short, stumpy woman whose stature and head shape reminded Callista of a thumb - an appendage in a brown wig. Her husband was no looker either. He was a hulk of a man who definitely had a solid foundation and strong bones but no light in the attic. However, Mr. Goyle was a vote Abraxas could count on in the Ministry so that sufficed enough for Callista to tolerate them.

"Yes, well..." Callista said through a thin smile, "If he needs any guidance, he can ask my Lucius. He is a prefect, you know."

"But of course he is. I would not be surprised if he became Head Boy next year! He's got your grace and his father's brain," Farina gushed a little too loudly. Her desperation to be liked reeked more than the floral perfume she doused herself in.

Callista's smile was getting harder to keep on. She scanned their room, filled with their peers and their families celebrating the start of a new school year. It was an annual party held at the Malfoy Manor ever since the first Malfoy became a student but not just any student.

A Slytherin. Just like everyone else here was or strived to be.

Callista's stormy green eyes locked on to her son's cold grey ones. He was poised near the door, speaking authoritatively to a group of his friends from school. Callista was practically preening over how well she had raised her son. He was befriending all the right people without her prompting any more and he had his father's natural air of importance that instantly made people listen to what he had to say.

She caught his eye and gave him a very subtle nod. He understood his mother's intentions immediately and quickly disengaged himself from the group and headed upstairs to tend to the secret guest of honor upstairs.

Callista clasped her hands together behind her back so that no one could not see her excitement as she gripped them tightly. The look on Walburga Black's face when she saw what Callista had planned for this party was something she had been looking forward to for months. All that chatter and gossip behind Callista's back came from that haughty Walburga Black. Callista just knew it. This was her chance to shut that judgemental witch up for good.

She saw Walburga talking to Professor Slughorn near the fireplace. There was no doubt in Callista's mind that Walburga was making sure that the current Head of Slytherin was aware of her eldest son, who was about to start his first year.

If Callista was a good friend, she'd tell Walburga not to waste her breath. Slughorn's little group of students he deemed worthy of his attention was nothing more than an insecure man trying to leech off of people who could do what he couldn't. After all, Lucius was doing well without being part of that so-called Slug Club. He knew how to use his influence as well as gain it through the right channels. She had taught him that and he was an excellent student.

That was why she was not worried at all that he would be able to charm the guest of honor upstairs. It was vital that they make a lasting impression, especially to the honoree's father, who was having a private meeting with Callista's husband upstairs. Callista's reputation and her husband's power in the Ministry would benefit greatly from a positive relationship. It was a large burden to put on a 16-year-old boy but again, Callista was not worried. In fact, she decided she was going to help herself to a cup of punch and some light refreshments.

Now, if the current Mistress of Malfoy Manor knew what was actually happening upstairs, she would have a completely different attitude. She would be appalled to know that not only was her son alone in the room trying not to panic but that the guest of honor was outside in the garden, with none other than the son of Walburga Black!

The boy was taller than most boys his age but that was not why he could spot the girl clearly over the neatly trimmed hedges. It was because she was flying up in the air, circling the skies, on the back of a white crane with black on the tips of its wings and down its long neck. He had never seen such a sight. It wasn't just because she was perched on such a strange creature but she was dressed strangely as well.

He watched her and the bird circle the skies, swooping gracefully up and down every now and then but never going higher than the roof of the manor. The girl made no noise or emphatic gesture but the smile on her face made it apparent that she was enjoying herself immensely.

"Oy!" the boy called out as he jumped over the hedge to get to the open patch of grass, "Can I have a go?"

The girl gasped, not realizing she was being watched, but she managed to keep her balance. She said something that the wind blew out of earshot of the boy and the bird came gliding down to him. The bird planted on the grass and stood about 6 feet tall. Now that it was right in front of the boy, the boy could see that there was a red patch at the top of the bird's crown. The boy grinned and motioned for the girl to shove off. She did not budge.

"Who are you?" she asked, enunciating every syllable.

The boy smirked and ran his hands through his thick black hair that stopped right above his shoulders. "I'm wanting a ride on your bird."

"His name is Xiao," the girl said, "And he's a Vel- Verrmirr- Vermi-"

She paused as she stumbled through her r's and l's. She took a deep breath and then said very quickly. 'Vermillion Crane."

Sirius snorted. "That's still a bird."

"Only I'm allowed to ride him," the girl said and ran a hand down the bird's neck.

"Says who?"

"The Emperor."

One of the boy's brow lifted. "What Emperor?"

"My grandfather," she said through gritted teeth.

He let out a low whistle and then swept his arms out in an exaggerated bow. "Well butter my beer and call me Merlin. I did not realize I was in the presence of a princess."

"I'm not a princess," she corrected, "My father is the prince. Prince of the Fourth Rank, actually...And why would I call you Melon...Merin. Mer- that name?"

"It's just an expression," the boy said and then he squinted his eyes in confusion. "So...he's the fourth son of the king?"

"Emperor," the girl corrected, "And no. In fact, my father is the eighth son."

The boy's eyes were nearly slits now and his brows knitted together. "So then what does that make you?"

"Just a Lady," the girl said.

"Of the fourth rank?" the boy asked.

She held up three fingers.

The boy let out a whistle. "I thought my family was complicated."

"And which family is that?" the girl asked, "Judging by your hair, you are not a Malfoy."

"Ugh. Of course not," the boy said pretending to retch, "One of those cauldron polishers? Definitely not."

"Then who are you?"

The boy straightened up, pushed a hand through his hair to free it from the hair tonic his mother had insisted he used to keep it tidy, and shrugged. "I'm Sirius."

"Of what family?" the girl pressed.

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Does it matter?"

The girl sucked in a breath as if he had spoken a forbidden curse but then a smile grew on her lips. It was the warmest expression the boy had seen the girl give yet. The boy could now see that the girl had dimples.

"No. It does not," the girl said, "Hello, Sillies...I mean..Serus. I mean…"

She bit her lip and then stamped her foot in frustration, which amused the boy.

"Take your time. You can say it," he said.

Fei took a deep breath and tried to remember the phonetic exercises she practiced with Slughorn and Po. "Si..ri...us. Sirius! I'm Fei!" she said and then punctuated her statement by a firm nod.

Sirius grinned right up to his ears at her victorious smile and he extended his hand to her. "Pleasure to meet you, Fei."

Fei blinked at his empty palm and then stared back up at him questioningly.

"Well, take it for goodness sake," Sirius said, "Don't leave a guy hanging or are you not allowed to touch commoners, Lady Fei?"

Fei dropped her calm demeanor and she grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him towards her. However, she seemed just as surprised as he was when he stumbled towards her, nearly knocking them to the grass.

"What are you doing?" Sirius demanded when he regained his balance.

Fei dropped his hand and glared up at him accusingly. "You told me to take it so I did."

"I meant to grab it for a handshake."

"A what?"

"It's a greeting!" Sirius said and turned on his heels to direct his exasperation to the room, "Honestly, how do you not even know a simple greeting like that?"

"Where I'm from, people bow instead," Fei said.

'"What about here? How long have you been here in this country?" Sirius demanded.

"Two months now," Fei said.

"Two months and no one has ever offered you a handshake?" Sirius asked.

"I haven't seen it," Fei said with a shrug, "This is the first time I've been outside our house. I'm not allowed to leave it and the few people who have come by tries to adapt to what I'm used to instead of the other way around. It's odd, really. I'm trying to get used to life here but everyone tries to make me feel like I'm back home."

Sirius gave her a pitying look, not because of her confinement but that Malfoy Manor was her only reprieve. He looked at her with fresh new eyes but then those eyes fell on top of a weird staff thing poking out of the top of her waistband. Sirius immediately grabbed it to take a closer look.

"Don't touch that!" Fei gasped. She held out her hand expectantly. When he didn't give it back, she straightened her shoulders. "That's mine. Hand it over."

"You can't order me around, princess," Sirius smirked and turned the staff in his hand, "What is this? Some kind of fancy fly swatter?"

"I already told you, I'm not a princess." Fei huffed, "And that's a hossu. I use it like a wand."

The boy blinked and he looked down at the staff again. "You can use this to cast spells?" he asked and started to swish it in the air, watching the hairs whip around. With a loud bang, yellow and red sparks shot out from the ends of the hair and they were sent flying right up into the sky like fireworks.

"What was that?!" they heard someone cry out from the house.

"Oh, look what you did! Give it to me!" the girl said as she grabbed the hossu from the stunned boy's hands and then pushed him towards the hedges, "Go hide over there. Hurry!"

"Wha-?"

Fei started to shove Sirius even more. "Hurry!"

Sirius had just jumped over the hedge and ducked out of sight when he heard footsteps against the grass. He tried to peer through but could only see Lucius through the space between the leaves. However, he could hear everything that was going on.

"L-Lady Fei! Is everything okay?" he heard Abraxas Malfoy ask.

"Yes. I just had a little accident while practicing some charms, Abraxas," the girl said and the boy had to stifle his laugh at the expression on Lucius' face of having a girl address his father by name.

"Well," Lucius said as he straightened up and lifted his chin the boy had seen him do occasionally as if that would automatically impress people, "I can help you if you are having any trouble with charms."

"Oh, yes!" Callista said, "Lucius is prefect of his house! You won't find a better person to prepare you for your first year at Hogwarts."

The boy pressed himself even closer to the hedges. She was going to be at Hogwarts too?

"Is there anything, in particular, you are interested in studying?" Callista continued.

"No," the girl said, "But if there was, I'd rather wait and ask the professors at school directly since they are the experts."

"Ah…Quite.." Callista said meekly.

"Will that be all?" Fei asked.

Sirius could not help but marvel at the girl's ability not only to keep calm in this situation but to also turn it on its head. She did not act guilty in the slightest and instead, seemed to be putting the fault on them for even coming to her in the first place...And it was their home.

There was a sound of a clearing throat and then Abraxas spoke. "Y-Yes, Lady Fei. I was just speaking to His Royal Highness. We were just about to present you to the party. Will you be ready in five minutes?"

"Can Xiao come?"

There was another long silence and this time, the boy had to cover his mouth with his hands to stop himself from laughing out loud at how absolutely befuddled Lucius was starting to look.

"Xiao?" Callista asked in a pained voice.

"Yes. My crane. I do not go anywhere without him."

Abraxas cleared his throat again. "If...your ladyship wishes…"

"I do," Fei replied curtly, "Very well. You are dismissed."

The snort that escaped the boy was inevitable. Thankfully, the Malfoys were too horrified by what had just transpired to hear it. When they shuffled off and he heard the back door to the manor close, Sirius exploded. He leaped over the hedges with his arms outstretched.

"That was brilliant!" he howled, "Oh! How I wish I could take a picture of Lucius' face. He looked like he swallowed a toad! His family...His high and mighty father...dismissed by a girl who doesn't even use a wand!"

"Lucius..." Fei repeated as if just remembering his existence, "I have a question about him. What is a prefect?"

"Oh. That's just a position the school gives to goodie-two-shoes who are stickler for rules. Boring sods," Sirius replied and then he frowned, "Why didn't you ask the Malfoys when they were here?"

"People like them lie," Fei stated and then went over to her crane. She stroked it's neck and patted the red part of his crown.

"What makes you think I'm not lying?"

Fei's hand stilled and she tilted her head. "You have nothing to gain if you lied," she said after a while, "So if you did, you'd be stupid...which I don't think you are."

Suddenly, there was a loud crash and several screams coming from inside the house again. Then a shrill voice pierced through the entire mansion screaming, "SIRIUS!"

Sirius grinned, mostly to himself, "Looks like they finally found the cat dung I dropped into the punch bowl. That's my mother shouting my name."

"B-But...how did she know it was you?"

The boy's smile grew wider. "I enchanted the table cloth so when someone spilled punch over it, it'll read 'With Warmest Regards from Gryffindor'. It's not my house but I figured it was the one thing that will really rile everyone up."

"You can do that?" Fei asked and the boy didn't know if he should be pleased with the fact that she seemed more interested in his magical skill-set than his pranking ingenuity.

He shrugged. "My cousin Andy taught me...Enchanting hidden messages and whatnot on paper and fabric. I think she's been using it to send love notes to her boyfriend though. What a right idiot, that guy is. Who would want to be even remotely associated with Bellatrix is beyond me."

He stuck out his tongue in disgust and then pulled off the black robe he was wearing, revealing faded jeans and a loose black jumper underneath. He then stuffed the robes into the ground behind the hedges.

"What are you doing?" Fei asked.

"I'm taking off. I'm only here because my mother dragged me," Sirius said, "I'll go out to the main road and hitch-hike my way back home. Have you ever traveled in a Muggle car before? It's the best!"

Fei's eyes went wide. "You...travel with Muggles?!"

Sirius ran another hand through his hair, "Yeah, if they'll let me. Why?"

"But that's not safe," the girl said, "They spread disease with just one touch."

"What?!" Sirius exclaimed, "Who told you that?!"

"Everybody."

Sirius looked at her as if she had sprouted two heads and a tail. "And here I thought you were Ravenclaw material."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I thought you were smart."

Fei scowled. "I am smart."

"No. You are thick as a mountain if you think touching Muggles will kill you."

"I'm not thick," Fei insisted.

"Who knows? Maybe you'll end up in Hufflepuff. Although, given your stupid ideas about Muggles, probably not." He smirked, reached behind her head, and pulled out her hairpin. Her hair spilled out, curled from being secured in a bun for so long, and it looked odd against her otherwise straight hair.

"Give that back!" she said as she put her hand out again, making no effort to take it from him.

"Didn't I say you couldn't order me around?" Sirius laughed and then tucked it into his back pocket, "I think I'll take this as a token of meeting my first princess."

"But I'm not-" Fei started to say but the boy had already taken off towards the back gate, jumping over hedges and trampling over the Malfoy's meticulously planted flowers.


	4. A Shopping Trip

**Ch. 4 - A Shopping Trip**

A big camera flash and two quills scratching away on floating notebooks were what welcomed Fei and her entourage when they arrived by Floo Powder to Diagon Alley - or to be more specific, by coming out of the fireplace of the Golden Goose. It was an exclusive members-only dining establishment on Diagon Alley. It was furnished with heavy wooden tables and plush velvet chairs. It smelled of what Fei later came to learn as brandy and cigar smoke.

Fei was told that there was another way to Diagon Alley, through another place called the Leaky Cauldron but that would risk the possibility of Muggles so the Malfoys and her father thought it best to travel thusly.

The owner, a man with a bulbous nose and chin, bowed to them so deeply when they arrived that Fei thought he could sweep the floor with his thin but long greying hair. There were two people and their son having lunch in the club that Fei recognized from Callista Malfoy's party. When they stood up from their seat, though, the Malfoys had hustled their group out the door, not giving a chance for the Parkinsons to socialize.

As soon as they were outside, they were met by a group of journalists from various publications and a few wizards and witches, who just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. It made for quite a crowd in the street because it wasn't just Fei, her father, and the Malfoys but also Po, Xiao, Professor Slughorn, and a man from the Ministry of Magic. They were all coming along for Fei to get what she needed for school. She didn't know why. She thought just having Po and Xiao with her would be enough. After all, if she had any questions she was sure the shopkeepers would help her.

The man from the Ministry was Anorim Boggs and he was the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. He was also one of the few people who were allowed to visit the townhouse that Fei was staying at in the center of London. Judging by how pale his complexion was and how wheezy his words could get, Fei thought he might need a bit of sun but otherwise, she did not mind the man. Whenever they spoke, he would always offer encouraging words about her studies in Hogwarts. He was a student there himself and was a proud Hufflepuff. He told her that the professor that will be teaching her Care of Magical Creatures was in the same house and a dear friend of his.

He was also the only adult among them, Fei noticed, that was not happy to see the reporters.

"Hello! Prince Gaozu! Lady Fei. Over here!" one of them shouted.

Fei had some inkling of who had tipped off the press of their location, she just wasn't sure which Malfoy it was, but she was more concerned that her father had not bothered to correct them in regards to his official title - Lord Gaozu.

"Father," Fei whispered in Cathayan, "Shouldn't you-"

"Quiet," he hissed through smiling teeth.

Fei decided then and there that she would take his lead and not allow anyone to spoil her day. She turned to Professor Slughorn, who had one hand on her shoulder, also smiling for the cameras.

"Professor," Fei said quietly, switching back to her careful English, while her father busied himself with answering questions, "Xiao and I would like to visit Eeylops Owl Emporium."

"Oh, we will get to owls, my dear," Slughorn said, "But first we must fit you for your first Hogwarts robe!"

He shouted the last sentence and was answered by some cheers and clapping from the crowd. Callista bent down so that they were eye level and gave what she imagined to be a warm smile. "Given that your mother is not with us," Callista said, "I will be honored to help you through it."

"Yes. It's such an ordeal. Standing still while someone sticks pins in flowy fabric. Nightmare, that."

Sirius came out of the Golden Goose and leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. he was clad in a rough, dark blue fabric around his legs with rips along the knees. His top was white with sleeves that looked to be torn off and he had a jacket made up of the same fabric as the ones around his legs. There were also patches of various colors with different emblems and words stuck on the jacket. Fei could not help but stare.

"Oh. Hello there, young man," Mr. Boggs said and then looked over Sirius' head into the tavern, "Where are your parents?"

"The young master Black," Abraxas said smoothly, "Travelling via Floo Powder without an adult? Does your tendency for rule breaking know no bounds?"

Sirius shrugged. "I actually came with my mother and brother but Regulus just remembered he forgot something at home so he and my mother went back to get it. I'm supposed to wait for them here." He then stood on his tiptoes to get a better look at the crowd, "So what's the headline for this then? Slytherins Sucks Up to Royals?"

"Why you..." Lucius snarled while the crowd snickered.

Fei groaned internally. As much as she appreciated and agreed with Sirius' sentiment, she didn't want to make a bigger fuss than it already was. She just wanted to get it over with. She stepped towards him, in hopes that maybe she could turn the conversation a bit more cordial.

"Hello, Seel-...Sir…Silli..."

He raised an eyebrow while she tried hard not to wince. She was still having such a hard time pronouncing his name. She had practiced it too. Over and over again. It wasn't because she was thinking of him. She was just determined to conquer her r's and l's before the term began. She took a deep breath and decided to switch tactics.

"What are you wearing?"

Sirius straightened up, opened up his arms and did a slow spin. "Soak it all in, princess. These are Muggle clothes."

The Malfoys looked shell-shocked. Fei heard a strangled noise from her father's throat. Fei, on the other hand, reached out. Ever since he told her he had interactions with Muggles, she was very much intrigued by them. Were they not the sullied and cursed creatures her tutors and family made them out to be?

She was just about to touch the corner of his jacket when her wrist was caught by Lucius Malfoy. He tucked her hand to his arm.

"I believe you wanted to see Eeylops Owl Emporium, Lady Fei? Allow me to take you there," he said and then deftly maneuvered Fei so that he stood between her and Sirius. "Don't worry, Prince Gaozu. I'll have her at Madam Malkin's in no time at all. Is that alright with you, Mother?"

It took Callista less than a second to catch on. "Yes, of course. So thoughtful of you. She is in good hands. I assure you, gentlemen. Lucius is an excellent tour guide."

Lucius took one step forward with Fei and a sharp trill pierced the air, shattering the light bulbs and lenses in the cameras. The quills and notebooks clattered to the floor. Lucius had to let go of Fei's hand in order to cover his ears. As soon as she was released, Xiao came racing towards her, flapping his wings.

Fei put out both hands to stop her friend. When he had slowed down enough and was within reach, she petted his neck and rubbed his beak. "Shhh...Xiao. I'm okay. He didn't hurt me," she said soothingly in Cathay.

Xiao let out a soft trill and Fei smiled.

"Looks like you're out of a job, Lucius," Sirius said as he took advantage of everyone's stupor to make his way through the crowd, "Such a shame your career in tourism ended so abruptly."

He put his hands behind his head and whistled as he walked away from everyone. When he had almost past the block, he shouted without looking back. "This way to Eeylops, princess."

Fei picked up the hem of her bottom skirt and ran after him. It did not matter who took her or how as long as they got there. "I'm not a princess!" she exclaimed and then shouted over her shoulder, "Xiao! Po!"

The crane used his beak to pick up Po by the rope around his waist and toss him on Xiao's back. It was done so swiftly that if the Malfoys took the time to notice, they would see that it was a familiar action. However, they were too busy exchanging dumbfounded looks with Professor Slughorn while Fei's father looked like he was about to have a stroke. Poor Mr. Boggs was torn between running after Fei or staying with the prince. His indecisiveness delayed him so that when he finally thought better and was going to run after the girl, she was already gone and out of sight.

Fei caught up to Sirius in front of a snow-white marbled building whose front pillars were lopsided and made the doorway and landings above it stand at a dangerous angle.

"It's a wizarding bank. Run by goblins," Sirius explained after he waited for Fei to sound out its signage ("Glin...Grin...Gleen...Greenguts?") He put his hands down to his side and he eyed her quizzically, "I expect you came with loads of money. You must have some there. It's the only place to keep it."

"I never asked," Fei admitted and then looked over to Po. "Do you know if we have money?"

"How do you not know if you have money?" Sirius demanded before Po could answer.

"I never had to think about it," Fei said and then glanced back at her palace elf expectantly.

Po leaned forward on Xiao's back so that they could speak more privately. He said something to her in Cathayan and then seemingly pulled out a drawstring purse made of green silk from thin air. He patted its bottom to show that it was full and then he put it in his lap. That seemed to satisfy Fei and she turned to look at Sirius.

"I have money," she stated.

"Yeah. Saw that," Sirius replied. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and continued on his way, "You know, princess — Yes, you're not a princess but you've yet to earn any other nickname so you'll just have to live with it until you do something else so don't waste your breath correcting me — a basic rule of surviving in this place, the real world...Is that you need to keep track of your money at all times. You need to know where it is and how much you've got."

"How much money do you have?" Fei asked as she quickened her footsteps so that she could walk by his side. She was exerting more effort than he was to keep the pace. He had longer legs and her silk slippers did not provide enough traction against the cobblestones.

"Right now, I have five galleons, twelve sickles, and three knuts exactly in my pocket," Sirius said without even a glance, "I always make sure I have at least seven sickles on me at all times."

"Why?"

"Because that's the minimum costs for passage on the Knight Bus."

Fei slipped on the stone and stumbled forward. Sirius made no inclination to help. When she righted herself back up, he was already three shops away. By the time she caught up with him and asked him what the Knight Bus was, she had already fallen three times and was out of breath.

"The Knight Bus," Sirius said maintaining his pace and not giving her a second glance, "Is a triple-decker...Oh. You might not know what that is...It's a car. Do you know what a car is?"

"Yes. I've seen a car. I'm not completely clueless," Fei huffed. She grabbed him by the elbow and jerked him to a stop, "Wait! You're walking too fast!"

He smirked but did not move away. "Not afraid that you might burst into flames by the mere touch of my jean jacket? A fabric made by Muggles?"

"N-No…" Fei said but she let go of her hold and stared down at her palm in wonder.

Sirius rolled his eyes and walked away. "So a Knight Bus is a very big car-"

"I said wait!"

The boy stopped and he jutted out his elbow. "You're gonna have to grab on then...At least until we can get you some proper shoes."

"Lady Fei, I don't think your father will be pleased with that," Po warned in a hushed whisper, which had the opposite effect he intended.

Fei stormed over to Sirius and grabbed his elbow with both hands firmly, feeling the sturdiness of the fabric on her skin. "Knight Bus?" she asked. She kept her eyes ahead and avoided his gaze.

Sirius grinned and used his free hand to push his hair out of his face. He started to walk but this time, he slowed his pace down to match hers. "As I was saying, it's a very big car that can take young witches and wizards anywhere by land. Remember how I told you at the Malfoys that I was going to hitchhike my way back home with some Muggles?"

"Yes and did you?"

"Naw. The Malfoy's Muggle prevention charms around those parts are too strong. Couldn't find one for hours so I had to use the Knight Bus. Oh! That's the bookstore up ahead. We should just buy our first-year books now. You've got a copy of the Shopping List, yah?"

"Po does."

"Brilliant. Mine's with my mother so I don't have it on me."

"Won't you want to wait for her? What if she starts shopping without you when she's here? You will end up with two of everything."

Sirius snorted. "I would bet all the money in Gringotts that when she arrives with my brother, the Malfoys will tell her what I did. She'll be spitting mad and will go straight home."

By the time they actually got to Eeylops Owl Emporium, they had already gotten most of the items listed on their Hogwarts First-Year Shopping List, including new shoes - plain black ones but made of dragons hide, which Sirius demand Fei wear immediately ("I am not your human handrail."). She also got a black cloak that shimmered with green if it caught the sun at the right angle. She wore it to cover her robes that Sirius said made her stick out like a sore thumb.

When Sirius told her they were heading to the Eeylops Owl Emporium, for real, Fei did notice that they seemed to be going towards Gringotts. If he was using her this whole time because she had a copy of the shopping list, she didn't mind. In fact, it made her feel relieved. It would make no sense for him to be nice to her otherwise.

However, her relief was short-lived. Eeylops was not what Fei expected it to be. In her head, she had pictured something like the aviary with birds flying around freely with a lot of greenery around them. Instead, it was just a shop. A simple shop with "Eeylops Owl Emporium" painted on a rickety, white wooden board. The owls themselves were caged. Some were hanging from the awning outside and some were just sitting on the floor or stacked together like a wall of small dungeons.

"Hello, love," said a stout woman with glasses lenses so thick, it made her eyes resemble that which she sold, "What are ya lookin' for? I've got a nice wee-"

"THIS IS A PRISON!" Fei screamed and pointed a finger at the woman, whose jaw was on the floor along with Sirius', "How could you?! These creatures need to fly! They need to be free! They belong in the sky. They belong-"

Xiao nipped the air right next to Sirius' left ear. The sharp sound brought him to his senses.

"So sorry," Sirius said. He grabbed Fei by the waist, hauling her out the door despite her kicking and punching, "She's not well. Cursed with...er...the Bird Brain Hex. Yeah! Makes her act all stupid around birds. So sorry. Will get it sorted right away."

Sirius managed to pull her to an empty and quiet space in front of a junk shop that sold used but cheap items of all sorts. No one would shop there unless they had no other choice. He made her sit down right on the floor outside a window display of rusty cauldrons, worn robes, and dusty books.

"Have you gone mad?" Sirius demanded. He loomed over her with his hands on his hips while Po and Xiao stood next to him, peering at her with concern, "Are you trying to get yourself thrown in the loony bin? What in Merlin's beard were you trying to do in there?"

"I-I-I'm s-s-sorry," Fei said through shallow breaths. She picked up the hem of her cloak and she used it to dry her eyes. "It's just...Seeing them in those cages...It's...It's not right…"

Fei looked up and Sirius barked out a laugh. Her eyes were red and puffy, Her hair and clothes were all mussed up from his emergency extraction. If anyone was to look at her now, Sirius thought, they would never believe her to be royalty of any kind.

"I-I don't see what's so funny," Fei sniffled.

The door to the junk shop opened and two people, who looked about their age, stepped out with parcels of various sizes wrapped in thin, old parchment. One was a boy with black hair that was naturally slicked back and cut off right below the chin. He was holding his purchases tightly to his chest while trying to say something to the girl he was with but she didn't seem to want to hear it.

"Don't worry about it, Severus," she was saying while stuffing her parcels in a carpetbag Sirius had seen Muggles carry around, "We'll find a way for you to pay me back later. I'd rather you owe me money than not have anything for school. I- Oh! Are you alright?!"

The girl had spotted Fei and crouched down next to her.

"What's wrong?" the girl asked, rubbing circles on Fei's back. She seemed completely oblivious that there was crane standing before them with a palace elf on it's back. The girl's friend, however, noticed immediately.

"Lily," he hissed, "I don't think-"

"Hush, Severus," Lily said without taking her eyes off of Fei, "Are you alright? Is that boy bothering you?"

Sirius' head jerked back like he had been slapped and he looked at Po as if to say "Can you believe this girl?!"

"I-I'm okay," Fei said and rubbed her wrist against her nose, "I just...saw something upsetting."

"What?" Lily asked.

Sirius had had enough. He had taken Fei along with him out of the goodness of his heart. Alright, he will admit he needed her because she had a list of the supplies and he did sneak some of his stuff into hers when Po was purchasing some of the more pricier items, but still. He did not sign up to babysit a looney bird, let alone two of them.

"Pull yourself together, Fei," he said harshly, which earned him a glare from Lily's narrowed green eyes, "It's only a bird shop. Of course they have to put the owls in cages. If they let them fly free, there will be droppings everywhere and no one would even want to come into the store!"

"That's something a simple repelling charm could fix. I do it all the time when I visit the aviary at home," Fei pointed out, her logical side seizing control of her emotional one.

"What nonsense," the boy named Severus scoffed, "Minors are not allowed to perform charms outside of school. Everybody knows that"

"Well, she's not from here," Sirius said, crossing his arms and eyeing the boy warily.

"Oh! Where are you from? This is all fairly new to me. Are there wizards and witches outside of England?" Lily asked and then gasped when she realized something, "I'm so sorry. I haven't introduced myself properly, have I? I'm Lily Evans and he is Severus Snape. We are about to start our first year at Hogwarts."

"Yeah, I gathered that already," Sirius said, "I'm Sirius. This nutter is Fei and these two are her pets. Xiao and Po."

"They are not my pets," Fei huffed as she got to her feet.

"Which one is which?" Severus asked at the same time.

Po looked to Fei for permission and when she gave a small nod, he bowed his head. "I am Po."

"We're starting our first year too," Fei said and then gestured to the tower of items in Po's hand.

Lily's eyes widened at one of the packages, whose parchment had torn so she could see it's content. "Is...Is that a gold cauldron?"

"Our list specifically says pewter," Severus sniffed.

"Oh. Did I buy the wrong thing?" Fei asked, looking to Sirius.

Sirius shook his head. "Pewter. Gold. There's no difference. One cauldron is the same as the other."

"Spoiled, rich twits," Severus muttered under his breath but not low enough for it to go unheard.

"What did you just say?" Sirius asked.

"Clearly, you have bogies for brains if you think it does not matter," Severus said in a clipped voice, "Potion making is very difficult, and the details matter."

Sirius put his hands on his hips. "And how would you know?"

"It is literally printed on the first page of Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger," Severus said, "The first line of the introduction."

Lily took out the book from her carpetbag and lifted the cover. "He's right," she said, "Right there. After the title page. 'Potion making is very difficult and the details matter. Always keep that in mind because it could be the difference between life or death.' Severus! How did you know? We just got these."

"I like to check what I'm getting before actually buying it," Severus smirked which did not improve Sirius' mood. "Must be nice to have all that money...Means you can afford not to think or make an effort."

"I figured the point of school was for us to read the textbooks there," Sirius said through gritted teeth.

"L-Lady Fei! Sirius! I'm so glad I found you. Oh!"

Mr. Boggs came rushing down the street, his face doused in sweat. His hand waving a handkerchief in the air as if to say he surrendered and was at their mercy. When he got to them, he dabbed the handkerchief to his face while giving them a relieved smile. "I was very worried that I had lost you. Oh! Hello there. Making new school friends already, Lady Fei? Splendid, splendid!"

"Mr. Boggs, I bought a gold cauldron even though my list said pewter. I believe I've made a mistake and should return it," Fei said as her greeting while Sirius redirected his glower from Severus to her.

"Oh! Happy to accompany you on that," Mr. Boggs said and then laughed at the tower, "I see you two made quick work of getting your things. Is there anything left?"

"Maybe some dragonhide robes to match those shoes and perhaps a solid gold wand for Lady Fei," Severus said snidely as he grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her away, "Come on, Lily. We got our things. Let's go home."

"O-Oh. Okay," Lily said but called out over her shoulder, "Bye, Fei! Bye, Sirius! I'll see you at school!"

Fei nodded but said nothing back while Sirius just gave a shrug.

"Right, well…" Mr. Boggs said with a cough, "Why don't we take a break? There's an ice cream parlor right around the corner, Lady Fei. Would you like some? Sirius, you can join us if you'd like. I spoke with your mother already, by the way. She and your brother are back in the Golden Goose with the Malfoys, Professor Slughorn, and Prince Gaozu. They said they'll wait for you there but that you can take your time."

Sirius scowled. "Already trying to pass off Regulus as a Slytherin, I bet."

Fei turned to Sirius and she frowned at him. "Why are you so cross?"

"I'm not!"

"You sure sound like it. You look like it too. '

"I don't like that guy. He's a real git," Sirius said at the direction Severus and Lily had gone off to.

Fei shrugged. "He seemed alright and he was right about —"

"Don't," Sirius said and his fists clenched to his sides, "If you finish that sentence, I swear I will never help you again."

Fei blinked. "Have you been helping me? Genuinely?"

"That's it! I'm done! I quit. Good-bye, Lady Fei. Good-bye, Mr. Boggs. I am going home," Sirius shouted and he stalked off. However, he stopped after only taking a few steps and he turned sharply round, "And just so you know, Lily was carrying a carpetbag. Something that is common among Muggles and she said this was all fairly new to her."

"So?" Fei asked.

"So that means she must be Muggle-born! Her parents are Muggles and she touched you! And you're FINE! Now put that in your cauldron and smoke it!"

And with that as his final words, he left for good.


	5. A History on Blood

**Ch. 5 - A History on Blood**

Fei could not sleep that night. She had come as close to a Muggle as she had ever been in her life and as Sirius had so succinctly put it, she was fine. Did the history scrolls get it wrong?

Fei turned to her side. It was too hot for a blanket so she was sleeping above the covers.

Lily had magic in her, otherwise she wouldn't have gotten into Hogwarts , Fei thought, S o maybe...being Muggle- born was fine. Maybe the lack of magic is what is so deadly.

But that rationale felt weak to her even if it did come from her own mind. Fei sat up and tucked her knees to her chest. All her life she was taught that Muggles were dangerous. They had been the reason Cathay was once close to falling.

The people of Cathay, as the history scrolls said, were once a small, simple tribe of farmers up in the mountains that bordered ancient China and Mongolia. Then a terrible curse fell over the land. A thick layer of disease and misery reached every corner of the sky and seeped into the ground. The sun no longer shined and the land began to rot. All hope seemed to be lost until one day, Salazar Slytherin came to the kingdom and met with the head of the tribe, Chief Qin.

The Chief was at his wit's end. Everyone was hanging onto the last shred of life if they weren't already dead. The Chief had already lost all of his family except for two - his youngest son and youngest daughter. He had no choice but to task Slytherin to lift the curse. The Chief was very weakened to do so himself so he taught Slytherin a special way to connect to the land to find out what was wrong.

It took ten days and ten nights for Slytherin to find an answer. He came back to the Chief and he said that it was the magicless that was draining all the life from the land. There was an incurable curse in their blood that was stopping them from using magic and it drained the strength of those around. They were what had caused the land's magic to weaken and in turn, it had made the land unbalanced and unable to sustain life. The only thing to do was to rid the tribe of all the magicless and the land and it's people will become strong again.

The Chief believed him but there was no one who had any strength left to do anything so he asked Slytherin if he could help with that as well. Slytherin said yes and the Emperor gave him the Armillary Sash, a sacred item that was passed down from chief to chief. It allowed it's user to fly right up to the Heavens and channel it's magic.

Slytherin got to work. He went up to the Heavens for another ten days and ten nights until finally he returned carrying five stones of each element - a red stone for fire, a blue stone for water, a green stone for wood, a yellow stone for earth, and a white stone for metal.

With these stones, Slytherin restored balance to the land and then he cast out all the magicless. The youngest daughter of the Chief, however, tried to interfere. She had fallen in love with a man who did not have an ounce of magic in him. For the sake of the land, the Chief could not spare him so in a moment of rage, she took the stones and gave up her life to destroy them.

Without the stones to protect the land from the magicless, the Chief decided to close the kingdom gates and protect it from the outside world. No one but that of Cathayan blood can reside within its walls. No one but those gifted with magic can call Cathay home.

When the Chief died, his son and became the First Emperor. He took up the name of Yun, the Cathayan word for Cloud. He vowed to the Heavens that he would honor and serve them, be their conduit of their divine power for his people, and will keep Cathay pure and worthy of their protection. Thus Cathay grew into the strong empire it was today with the blessing of the Heavens.

Every Cathayan knew that a Muggle's blood was cursed. That being around them could lead to you losing your own magic.

But , Fei couldn't help but wonder, what if it wasn't? Could the scrolls have gotten it wrong? It wouldn't be the first time the truth was exaggerated.

By the time the sun had risen and Po was getting her ready for breakfast, Fei had gotten barely any sleep. She wanted to discuss this with someone but since Po was illiterate and was never taught the history, there was only one person she could turn to. She was not happy with it but her curiosity was getting the best of her.

She waited until her father was halfway through his breakfast of eggs, sausage, roasted tomatoes, and buttered toast before she spoke. He was adapting extremely well to the ways of the United Kingdom and was enjoying his trip immensely, especially all the attention he was getting.

"Father?" Fei asked at her end of the long dining table. She had to tilt her head to the side to see her father past the candelabra and vases of flowers set at the center.

"Silence, child. I haven't quite forgiven you for your insolence yesterday," her father said gruffly with his eyes on the newspaper. Fei knew he didn't understand even a letter but he was mainly focused on the picture of him on the front page, smiling in a dignified way to the cameras with the Malfoys and Slughorn behind him. Fei stood wide-eyed at his side with Xiao and Po, looking warily at the cameras while Mr. Boggs chuckled nervously on the other side of Fei's father.

"Would you like me to read what it says on the newspaper?" Fei said as a peace offering. When he looked skeptically back at her over the paper, she knew that was her way in, "To see what they have to say about you , Father."

"Alright," her father said and then snapped his fingers, "Hong! Give this to her."

He handed the newspaper to his palace elf, who was dressed in a ripped curtain with red and white embroidery. Hong had long limbs and a long but crooked nose. He took the newspaper and hurriedly gave it to Fei.

"A Loy..Ro... ," Fei sounded out and then took a deep breath, ignoring the pinched look on her father's face. Then she continued.

_A ROYAL OUTING_

_ August 15th, 1970 - The Prince of Cathay was spotted with his daughter, Lady Fei-Ying Yun, at Diagon Alley. Lady Fei is about to start her first year at Hogwarts. Despite all of his important, royal obligations, Prince Gaozu, a dutiful father, found the time to personally help his daughter get the supplies needed for school._

Fei cast a quick glance at her father, who was stroking his chin and looked very pleased.

_ "I am most eager for my daughter to start school," Prince Gaozu said with a glimmer of pride in his eyes, outside of the Golden Goose that afternoon, "I have found myself quite fond of life here and am looking forward to creating an amicable relationship between our two kingdoms. No matter how long it takes."_

_ To help our special foreign guests find their way around and to offer a few pointers, Professor Horace Slughorn was with them as well as Anorim Boggs, the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation and the family of Abraxas Malfoy, another prominent member of the Ministry of Magic and was instrumental in exposing the corruption of the former Minister of Magic, Nobby Leach._

_ It is apparent that the Malfoys have a close friendship with Prince Gaozu and Lady Fei as the royals have only been attending events hosted by Cal-_

"Who cares about the Malfoys?" Fei's father shouted and then waved a hand at her, "Anything else about me?"

Fei shook her head. There was only one paragraph left and it was dedicated to how demure Fei seemed to be and describing how exotic her and her father's robes were but her father didn't need to hear it.

The article deepened her suspicious even more. What was printed in the newspaper was not truly reflective of what had happened yesterday. Maybe the scribes writing the history scrolls also got it wrong as well.

"Father," Fei said with more confidence this time, "I'd like to speak to you about...Muggles."

"What about them?" Father said, "Is it about the smell? Yes. I have been suspecting the reason why the air here is not as sweet as Cathay is because of them."

Fei rather thought it was because they lived up in the mountains and not as close to water but she'd rather choose her battles. "No," she said slowly, "I've been wondering...well...If they really are dangerous…"

Lord Gaozu almost choked on his coffee. The cup in his hands fell onto the table, rolling to it's side, and spilling the steaming, brown liquid right down to the carpet. Po hurriedly rushed over to clean it up but he had to clean around Lord Gaozu, who was too stricken to move.

"What did you say?" he asked in a low growl.

"Well, I met someone yesterday and Sirius told me she was a Muggle-born. I-"

Her father reacted as if she had casted a lethal curse. He leapt up from his chair, knocking it to the ground, and then pointed a shaky finger at her. "I...I was warned by Abraxas of that Black boy. His own mother has admitted that he had a penchant for trouble. He has filled your head with lies and is trying to corrupt you!"

"I don't think so," Fei said with an even tone still sitting in her chair. The more she thought about it, the more she believed that Sirius was indeed helping her like he claimed. It was not an entirely selfless act but it was the most anyone has gone out of their way to do for her.

"And what would you know?" Lord Gaozu sneered, "Think yourself smarter than me? Think you're so special? The Auspicious Child? Might I remind you that I was once considered lucky. The eighth son!"

He walked over to her slowly, like a tiger stalking his prey. "I might as well warn you now...Consider it my... fatherly duty," he said with a scoff, "That attention...That special treatment...It does not last forever. You are easily replaced in the Emperor's eyes by someone else born under another 'special' circumstances. In fact…"

His lips curled into a snarl and he pulled out his hossu. "You are no longer under his protection. You are no longer inside palace walls. You do not answer to him any more. I am the head of this family and you will answer to me."

Fei blinked. "What?"

"I will not tolerate disobedience. I will not tolerate this unfilial behavior!" he seethed, spittle sprang from his lips as he raised his hossu.

Fei suddenly felt cold inside. Her father hadn't cast a charm yet but he might as well have. How he looked at the Hall of Supremacy and at Diagon Alley when Fei had defied him was nothing compared to rage on his face now. For a second, Fei thought she might actually be murdered by the hands of her own father.

" Zhang!" he shouted and whipped his hossu across her face. The hairs of it barely grazed her nose but her whole head turned sharply to the side as if he had slapped her. Something was burning on the side of her stinging cheek.

It had happened so suddenly that by the time Fei's shock had subsided, Xiao was already standing on top of her father who was lying prone on the floor. His hossu was in Xiao's beak and the bird looked like he was ready to snap it in half.

"You better tell him to get off, daughter ," Lord Gaozu shouted, "Or else I'll make sure that neither he nor Po will be able to go with you to your precious school. Can you guarantee their safety while you're away?"

"No!" Fei cried, "No! Xiao, stand down."

The bird extended his neck and looked over at her. His whole weight was on Lord Gaozu's chest. Then after a long minute, Xiao stepped off but still carried the hossu in his beak.

"Give...it...back," Lord Gaozu snarled as he got to his feet and he held out his hand towards Xiao.

The bird looked to Fei, who nodded.

"Watch it," Lord Gaozu said when Xiao dropped the hossu into his hand, "Or else I'll have you roasted for dinner. And you... daughter ...have I made myself clear?"

Fei nodded again but could not take her eyes off of the floor. They were in danger of shedding tears and she did not want to give her father the satisfaction to know that he had wounded her so deeply. "Perfectly clear."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Nobody moved.

"Well, go answer it, Hong!" Lord Gaozu shouted.

The elf hurriedly went to the door. A few moments later, he appeared in the dining room and bowed. "Mrs. Walburga Black is here to see you, Lord Gaozu, along with her son. It seems Lady Fei has taken a few of her son's things with her by accident yesterday and she's come to collect them."

Lord Gaozu's eyes flashed dangerously. "Tell Mrs. Black that Sirius is not welcome here until he has learned to behave."

Hong gave a slight cough. "It is not Sirius with her, sir. He was introduced as Regulus."

Lord Gaozu pursed his lips but gave a nod. "Yes. I met him yesterday. Very well. Tell them I will meet them in the - what do they call it? Oh, yes - the parlor room...and you... "

He turned to Fei.

"Fix yourself up before you join us."

"Yes...Father," Fei said and when he had left the room, she whispered, "Po?"'

Her palace elf appeared, holding a small silk bag filled with leaves, but when he saw her, he instantly dropped it and his jaw. "L-Lady Fei! What happened?!" he exclaimed and rushed over to touch her cheek.

She winced, the burn seemed to have intensified. "Father did it...Why does it feel burned?"

Po looked appalled as he conjured up a hand mirror and raised it so she could see her reflection. Burned into her skin was the Cathayan character for punish (Fa).

Po clucked his tongue and then brushed a finger over her cheek. Immediately the character and the pain went away, leaving just reddened flesh as any evidence of what had happened. "It's the Palm Hex but only used to those who serve. Lord Gaozu has crossed a line using it on you. When the Emperor hears of this, he-"

"He can do nothing," Fei said, "At least for another seven years...So what's the point of telling him?"

She kept looking at the mirror, smoothing out her hair, which was now tied into a tight knot at the base of her neck but with no adornments, and then she took a deep breath. "Okay. I think it's alright for me to go out now."

"Are you sure, Lady Fei?" Po asked, "I can inform Lord Gaozu that you are not feeling well. We can go to the gardens and you can fly with Xiao."

Fei shook her head. "I'd rather keep Father happy. Who knows what he might do to Xiao or even you if I anger him again. You didn't see the look in his eyes...He looked capable of doing anything."

Po blushed. "Don't you worry about me, Lady Fei. I can handle myself."

Xiao let out a trill of agreement but Fei shook her head again and then headed for the door. "We just have to tolerate him for a bit longer and then we'll all go to school."

She left the dining room and headed down the hall towards the front of the house, where the parlor was. She was just about to turn into the open entryway when she heard something that made her pause.

"I do apologize for Sirius' behavior," Walburga Black was saying. Fei recognized her voice from Callista's party. It had a distinct shrill and nasally tone as if she was talking through her nose that seemed permanently fixed to angle up in the air, "But I assure you, once he is in Hogwarts, that rebellious nature of his will be stamped out. His father and I have given him too much freedom, you see. Last year, while in our summer home, he had spotted something called a freeway. A sort of transportation platform for Muggles ."

There was a dramatic pause.

"And he has been fascinated with their vehicles and their lifestyle ever since. My husband, however, is confident that once he gets into Hogwarts, and away from all that nonsense, he will grow past this phase of his. Yes, once he is amongst our kind, he will see the error of his ways," Walburga Black said.

"Interesting," Fei's Father replied, "And what if he meets other...trouble-makers at school? I've been told that there are some families who are more sympathetic to the Muggles and Muggleborns."

"That won't happen," Walburga Black said reassuringly, "The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black has always had their members go to Slytherin. Any blood traitors and Mudbloods would definitely not be welcomed there. I assure you, Prince Gaozu, Sirius will go to Slytherin just like his father and everyone before him. It is in his blood."

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_\- Zhang (杖) is actually one of the five imperial punishments of ancient China - where one is beaten with a bamboo stick either on the buttocks, legs, or back. The Emperor will decide how many lashes (60 - 100 usually). I combined it with Zhang Jui (掌嘴) and Mo (墨) - the practice of hitting someone across the face with a small wooden paddle and the offender would be tattooed on the face or forehead with ink._  
_\- The five stones are inspired by the myth of Nuwa, where the Chinese goddess mended the sky with them._


	6. Platform 9 34

**Ch 6 - Platform 9 3/4**

The first of September arrived and Fei was already at the train station by 9 o'clock in the morning. She was very aware that her ticket said 11 but nevertheless, she had packed up her things, which could all fit into one large trunk, changed into her school robes and left the house with Xiao. She made a note to thank Sirius the next time she saw him for telling her about the Knight Bus, which despite the jolty ride, was still quite an exciting experience for her and Xiao.

Professor Slughorn had taken Po earlier that week to Hogwarts to get him settled in. It was agreed that Po will help serve along with the other house-elves at school and will keep mostly out of sight. If Fei wanted to see him during weekdays, she would have to go to him in the kitchen. On the weekends, they could see each other as often as they wanted. Dumbledore was very firm that he wanted Fei to experience what it was like to be a student at Hogwarts and though Po was allowed there as a slight comfort, she should not expect any special treatment while there.

That agreement was just fine for Fei and she was actually looking forward to going to school. She couldn't tell if she was eager to leave her father or just eager to leave. The Malfoys said they would come to help her get to the station at 10 o'clock but Fei had had her fill of them. She didn't want another photo taken of her. She didn't want to hear the glowing accomplishments of Lucius, whether or not they were true. She just wanted some peace and quiet.

She wasn't stupid enough to think that life at Hogwarts would be easy but at least it would be something different. Maybe there she could find a place to breathe. If not, maybe she could find some time to see Fawkes again.

People around her were giving her odd looks as she and Xiao pushed the trunk through the train station on a cart. It occurred to Fei that they were walking amongst Muggles and it did put her on edge. She was willing to keep an open mind but at the same time, it was hard to shake a lifetime of warnings. She kept her face composed and her eyes staring forward as they navigated their way to the platforms.

_Keep moving. Ignore them, _Fei thought to herself when several families and various commuters stopped and stared open-mouthed at them, _Keep moving. Platform 9¾…9¾...I see 9...and I see 10...but I don't see 9¾. Maybe I should- _

"You should really put that thing in a cage," came a terse voice.

Fei jerked the cart to a stop. Severus and Lily stood behind her, each pushing a cart of their own. Lily's was stacked with two trunks and a caged owl while Severus' was just as simple as Fei's. Severus and Lily were both dressed in Muggle clothes and even though the attire was still a little foreign to Fei, she could tell that Severus' was in a much worse condition and it was ill-fitted.

Behind them stood their families. Lily's parents both looked almost as eager and happy as Lily seemed to be. Lily's mother was slim with her dark red hair tied up in a plait. Her father had striking green eyes. Fei couldn't help but wonder what would happen if she hugged them both. Would she die of disease or would her father die of shock?

Severus' mother, on the other hand, was a thin, frail woman with bags underneath wet eyes and straight, black hair that was cut sharply right below her collar bone. She had one bony hand clutched to the handle of Severus' cart. Fei didn't know if she was helping to push it or if she needed it to support her.

"Good morning, Fei," Lily said brightly, "You're here early too! I couldn't sleep a wink last night I was so excited."

"You can't just have your bird walking around so freely," Severus said, continuing on with his lecture, "It's breaking all sorts of rules I'm sure. The Muggles don't notice much, mind you, but they _will _notice that."

"_He _is my friend and he has a name. It's Xiao," Fei replied and continued on her way towards a platform with the number 9 in front of it.

"Severus, you offended her," she heard Lily whisper. There was no response and then she heard Lily's footsteps quicken and the sounds of wheels squeaking. Suddenly, Lily was right next to her with her cart.

"Don't mind Severus," Lily said, "He's just anxious about today. Are _you_, Xiao?"

She meant it as a joke but Fei could see her obvious delight when Xiao gave a high pitched trill and bobbed his head.

"He can understand me?!" Lily gasped, "Oh! Is that a magic thing? Can we talk to birds?"

A strangled noise made Fei turn and that's when she noticed a girl following them with a pinched look on her face. Considering her hair color matched Lily's and they shared a similar nose and jawline, Fei could tell that it was Lily's older sister. However, given that she was walking slowly, purposely distancing herself from the group, Fei chose not to engage.

"Xiao is a very intelligent crane," Fei replied, returning to Lily, "And he does not belong in a cage."

"Of course he doesn't," Lily said without hesitation and that earned a small smile from Fei. She slowed down her cart, mostly to figure out where she should actually be going, and also to make it easier for Lily to keep up with the pace. Lily had to exert much more power to push her cart along because of the number of things she had.

"Alright, Eileen, how shall we go about it?" Lily's father asked jovially, "Hogwarts is your alma mater, isn't it? We're in your hands."

Severus' mother reacted as if he had shouted at her. She flinched even further away from him and then, after a second, hunched her shoulders and pointed at a brick wall that separated platforms 9 and 10. "That way," she said quietly.

Lily's father and mother shared a look while Lily looked puzzled by Eileen's reaction. However, Fei had an idea on what that flinch was about. She was becoming familiar with that flinch herself. Her father had struck her eight more times with the Palm Hex since the incident at breakfast. Each time he said it was because of her disobedience but after the third time, she had caught on to the pattern. It was whenever he felt weak, whether it was because she pointed out something he failed to notice, he questioned him on something he did not know the answer to, or that the attention was on her and not him.

Thankfully, he had controlled himself in the last few weeks leading up to school. Fei didn't know if it was because the burns were taking longer and longer to heal or because of the idea of her leaving soon and for him to have the spotlight put him in a better mood.

"Alright, let's get a move on," Severus called out, breaking Fei from her thoughts.

"We have almost two hours," Fei pointed out.

"Are you trying to see how much attention you'll get with your bird?" Severus said as he pushed past their carts, "Trying to see if you'll make it into the newspaper again? I saw you on the front page of the Daily Prophet. Can't get enough of the limelight? Fancy yourself a celebrity?"

Without another word, Fei stuck her nose up in the air and with a forceful run, she rammed herself and her cart right through the barrier, missing Severus' cart and him by a hair. She caught his startled look for just a brief second when she passed by and then the whole scene changed.

It was an almost empty platform with only a few people in sight and a scarlet steam engine sitting smartly on the rails. Steam was shooting out of the black chimney and caused a cloudlike atmosphere just below the glass ceiling. Fei could only see five people boarding the train.

With a sharp trill, Xiao caught up to her, and then he flapped his wings fervently while extending himself to his full height.

"I did not leave you behind," Fei said exasperatedly, "Of course you would be able to get through or else Professor Slughorn would've taken you with Po."

Xiao lowered his wings but he continued to walk with his legs fully extended. His beak pointed upwards and Fei sighed.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I lost my temper at Severus and I wasn't thinking. I will never do that again."

Xiao's head dropped and he bumped his head against hers, which made her laugh. Soon Lily, Severus, and their families were at the platform with her. Lily chose a compartment near the middle of the train. She was eager to claim a good seat for people watching and the window of their compartment gave them a good look at whoever was coming through the barrier.

Fei went in first, as she had no one to say goodbye to. She settled into the compartment, placing her trunk in the overhead shelf while Xiao immediately stood right by the window, bent his legs, and went to sleep. People were starting to gather on the platform. It was mostly students around Fei's age, eager to start their academic careers as well. Fei saw that Severus was having a somber goodbye with his mother on the platform. They didn't hug or say much but they mirrored each other's expression of sadness. Fei turned away before Severus could catch her looking. It would only put him in a sour mood and they had a long train ride ahead of them.

The compartment door slid open and Lily's parents smiled at her with Lily's trunks in their hands. "Lily's just saying goodbye to her sister. Thought we could help her in the meantime," Lily's mother explained and then her smile lessened, "Fei, was it? Where are your parents?"

Fei shrugged. "I used the Knight Bus."

Lily's parents shared a confused look and then they chuckled as if it was just part of life's great mysteries.

"Well, good luck in school, Fei," Lily's father said and stuck out his hand at her.

Fei stared at his open palm for a long time and then as if it was moving on its own, her hand slipped into his. His large, thick fingers wrapped around her hand and he shook it gently, patting the back with his other hand, and then released it.

"Have fun," Lily's mother said and gave her a pat on the cheek without any warning. They left just as briskly and carefree as they came, not understanding how much their gesture had rocked Fei to the core.

She didn't know how long she had sat there in numb silence, staring at her hand while her other hand cupped the cheek where Lily's mother had just touched it.

"FREAK!"

Fei almost jumped out of her skin at the sudden hiss. She looked out the window trying to find the source and then she saw them. Lily's sister was practically spitting out lowered anger words while Lily, herself, looked torn between yelling and crying. She watched as Lily's older sister stormed off to where their parents were, on the other side of the platform, marveling at a cart stacked full of cats, owls, and toads.

Lily wiped the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt and she came into the compartment, with her head lowered. Fei said nothing as Lily took the seat across from her. Her eyes were turning red along with the tip of her nose.

Fei kept silent, letting Lily cry in peace. Xiao had woken up from an especially loud sniffle and he edged himself closer to Fei but kept an eye on Lily.

Suddenly, Severus was coming in as well but Lily stopped him at the door without even looking at him.

"I don't want to talk to you," she said. It was the first time Fei had heard Lily's voice as curt as Severus' usually was.

Severus' eyes flitted to Fei but then returned just as quickly to Lily. He opened his mouth to say something but then thought better of it. He closed the door slowly. Fei could practically feel the metal clicking shut. His footsteps walking away sounded heavy too.

"So, Severus tells me you're a princess," Lily said after another long, extended silence.

Fei frowned. "I am not a princess. I keep telling people that but no one ever listens. My _father _is a prince. 95 people would have to die for me to claim the throne."

Lily laughed. It was a short, breathy laugh that didn't have much sound. "That's still about ten thousand less than me, I bet."

Fei gave a small smile. "I'm technically a Lady of the third rank but…"

"You hate it, don't you?" Lily asked, finally tearing her eyes off the window and to Fei, who could only nod.

"Then I won't ever bring it up," Lily said and she mimicked locking her lips and throwing the key away. Her promise, though, did not mean she was going to keep silent, "So what do you know about Hogwarts? Severus has told me some things but it's not much."

"I've met the Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore," Fei said, "I actually think he's the reason why I am going to Hogwarts in the first place."

Lily sat up a bit. Her green eyes twinkled from the light, mostly from tears but also with a little fascination. "What do you mean?"

Fei hesitated for only a second before she remembered that Lily had nothing to gain from knowing all about her. Lily had befriended Fei when she didn't even know who she was and she was clearly going through her own thing too.

So she squared her shoulders and for the first time, Fei confided in someone outside of the palace walls. She told Lily everything, explaining the Expanse, meeting Dumbledore at the aviary, and even the miraculous interference from the Dragon Urn. When she was done explaining and answering their questions, half the train was already filled up and the crowd outside was getting rowdy.

"Whoa," Lily said, her eyes wide and her fingers gripping the edge of her seat, "If Professor Dumbledore managed to sneak his wand in, then he must've been the one to put your name in."

Fei nodded. "I think so too."

"So you are pretty new to this sort of magic then?" Lily asked as she pulled out her own wand, which was light brown, and made a nice swishing noise when she flicked it. Fei nodded again and to her surprise, Lily let out a much louder laugh and she smiled almost as broadly as when she first spotted Fei that morning, "I'm so relieved. I was nervous that I was going to be the only person not knowing their way around but if _you _are in the same boat as me and you come from an extremely magical family, then I don't feel so alone. We can at least get through this together."

She reached out and gave Fei's hand a squeeze. "I'm _so _happy we met."

Fei couldn't help but smile back. Not as big and not as confident as Lily's but still it was a smile.

"Oh, I think there's room right here. We can — Oh no. It's you."

The door was opened by a heavy booted foot and Fei's smile left when Sirius appeared at the door struggling with a heavy trunk.

"What are you even doing here? Aren't you supposed to be upfront with all the professors and rubbing elbows with prefects and head boys and what not?" Sirius grunted as he shoved his trunk on the bin over Fei's head. When his hands were freed, he put them on his hips and glared down at her, "Move to the other seat and make some room."

"For what?" Fei asked.

"For me."

They turned to see another boy come in, pulling his trunk behind him with one hand while the other hand raked through his scraggly black hair that stuck out especially near the back. He smiled apologetically at the cohabitants of the compartment. "All the other compartments are filling up. Would you mind if I come in?"

"Not at all," Lily said and she scooted towards the window so that there was more room for Fei.

"Sweet Merlin! There's a whole bird in here," the boy said as Sirius helped him put his trunk by Lily's. The two boys then took their seats. Sirius leaned back and made himself comfortable, taking a wide stance with his legs.

"Lily. Princess," Sirius said with a mocking salute to the two of them.

"I'm not-"

"She's not a princess!" Lily said, jumping to Fei's defense immediately, "And as her friend, you should know better than to call her that."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"What do you mean why? After all that she's been through?!" Lily asked exasperatedly.

Sirius crossed his arms over his chest, which somehow made him looked even more relaxed. "What have you been through?"

Lily turned to Fei. "He doesn't know?"

"I only told you," Fei admitted.

"B-B-But...I thought you two were..." Lily said and then a blush came to her cheeks, "I'm flattered you told me."

"Told her what?" Sirius asked Fei but Fei just shrugged.

"Can somebody please explain this bird?" the boy next to Sirius blurted out.

"This is Xiao, he's our friend," Lily said before Fei could answer and the two girls shared a smile.

"What's it do? How much can it carry? Is it faster than an owl?" the boy asked.

"I'm sorry. Who are you again?" Lily shot back exasperatedly.

"Hello, Sorry. I'm James Potter," the boy retorted without hesitation and a large grin.

Lily clicked her tongue in disapproval of his joke but she decided to take the high road. "I'm Lily Evans and this is Fei."

"Fei what?" James asked.

"Doesn't matter," Fei replied and saw that a corner of Sirius' lips moved up.

"Oh, hang on!" James shouted and then moved so close to the edge of the seat, a slight jerk from the train would throw him completely off. "You're that princess!"

"I'm/She's not a princess!" Fei, Lily, and Sirius said in a mix of seriousness, exasperation, and boredom. The three of them exchanged bewildered looks at each other and then burst into laughter.


	7. The Sorting Hat

**Ch 7 - The Sorting Hat**

They were more than halfway through their journey when Severus returned to their compartment. He had changed into his school robes but it took a minute before anybody noticed it or even him. James and Sirius were talking about something called Quidditch. They tried to explain it to Fei and Lily but they lost both of them when they started talking about specific teams and batting averages. Fei and Lily were now both busy inspecting Lily's owl and talking about her.

The owl was a hefty, spotted owl with big black eyes. Lily told Fei that she hadn't thought of a good name for her owl yet but when the trolley cart came along and James and Sirius introduced the girls to Chocolate Frogs and their collectible cards, the name quite literally fell into Lily's lap. The owl was thus named Artemesia after the first witch of the Ministry of Magic.

"I think Artemesia will be a great flyer," Fei said, "Her wings look strong. See how firmly she holds it to her sides?"

"I do now," Lily said with a hint of pride.

"Lily?" Severus' voice was quiet but firm. Both girls looked up from the cage but only one kept her gaze while the other one averted her eyes immediately.

"I'm still not ready to talk to you, Severus," Lily replied with the same tone except hers also had a slight chill to it.

Severus looked so uncomfortable under the door and his expression had returned to the one he had when he said goodbye to his mother that Fei found herself inching to the side so that he had room to sit. Lily looked at her in surprise and Fei shrugged.

"You can't avoid him forever and we are going to be spending a lot of days together."

"That's right," Severus said, brightening up himself when Lily actually acknowledged his presence and made no other complaint of it when he took a seat, "This is it! We're going to Hogwarts! It's happening!"

Lily gave a half-smile.

"You'd better be in Slytherin," Severus continued, pressing his luck.

"Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

Lily jumped at the sound of James' voice. She had forgotten that the other two boys were there.

Sirius, who had put his hands behind his head and was taking up most of the seat, tipped his shoulders up and then let it drop casually. "My whole family has been in Slytherin."

It was a statement. Not a brag or a condemnation. Just a fact like he was talking about the weather.

"Blimey," said James, "And I thought you seemed all right!"

Sirius grinned. "Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"

James lifted an invisible sword.

"'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad," he said with his chest puffed out.

Fei heard Severus made a small, disparaging noise in the base of his throat. James turned on him.

"Got a problem with that?"

"No," said Severus, though his slight sneer said otherwise. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy —"

"Where are you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" interjected Sirius.

James roared with laughter while Severus' eyes narrowed. Fei was surprised to see Lily glare at James. She seemed to be taking offense for someone she didn't want to speak to just a few minutes earlier.

"I'm not the one hasn't even cracked open any of our books yet," Severus said snidely to Sirius, "Or does the rich twit not know how to read?"

Sirius leaped to his feet, which caused a ripple effect. Lily immediately stood up, putting herself in between the two boys, daring Sirius to take a step further by the gleam of her green eyes. James had gotten up as well, standing in support of Sirius, while Severus only smirked.

"Clearly all brawn...no brains."

"Does it actually matter?"

Sirius' hand froze, just inches away from pulling out his wand from his back pocket. Everyone turned to look at Fei, who had returned to inspecting Artemesia while petting Xiao on the neck. When no one spoke, she repeated her question with more clarity while pressing her nose through an opening in the cage to get a better look at Artemesia's feathers.

"Why is it important which House you are sorted into? Shouldn't we be more focused on what we're actually learning? It is a school, after all."

"Of course it matters," Severus said, "Which House you're placed in decides which type of people you'll be around for the next seven years! You don't want to hang out with the wrong crowd."

"I'd prefer not to hang out with any crowd," Fei replied. She pulled her head away. "Lily, I think you'll need to use Artemesia sparingly during the winter. Her down feathers look a little thin. She might be more suitable for errands during warmer weather."

"I'll...keep that in mind." Lily took her time getting back to her seat while Sirius returned to his lounging position as if he wasn't just a second away from doing something worth getting expelled for. James, however, remained standing.

"And what type of crowd would be the wrong kind, Severus?" James asked.

"The kind —" Severus started to say but then he looked over at Lily and stopped. Fei wasn't sure what Severus had planned to say until she caught Sirius' eyes. He was looking at her the same way he did when he came out of the Golden Goose, showing off his Muggle clothes. He was daring her to make a comment on Muggles and Muggleborns.

Fei lifted her chin. If Sirius Black thought that she was that easy to goad, then he obviously was a poor judge of character.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" James pressed.

"Well, I, for one, would like to be with people who aren't arrogant bullies," Lily said, jumping back to her feet. She grabbed Severus and Fei by their wrists and in a feat of strength, pulled both of them. "Come on. Let's go explore the other compartments. Maybe we'll find better company there."

She stared down James as she left, her red hair flinging in his face as she pulled open the compartment door and stomped out. Severus, with a somewhat victorious look on his face, went after her.

"Bye, Snivellus," Sirius called out in a sing-song manner as James laughed again.

Fei turned to Sirius and he sat up.

"What? Going to defend that git?" Sirius asked.

"Keep an eye on Xiao and Artemesia until we get back," Fei said sternly and then in the same breath, without changing her manner or tone, "And thank you for telling me about the Knight Bus."

She walked briskly out of the compartment and closed the door behind her. She was just about to pass the next train compartment when she hesitated for a moment. She was wondering if she should also tell Sirius that she had touched a Muggle today and she actually found the experience quite pleasant when she heard James say incredulously, "Blimey. She thanks people like she's giving orders."

"I told you. A royal pain, that one."

A sharp sting hit her right in the chest. Fei bit her lip, in case it was even thinking about saying something or even worse, trembling. She then took a deep breath. She shouldn't be surprised. This was just the way people were after all. And even if he did find her annoying, so what? They weren't friends after all.

"Fei! Get over here. They've got an owl"

Lily's voice brought Fei back to reality and she followed it to the next train car, where she met two other first-year girls and two third-year boys, who were in Hufflepuff. Of course, Fei would soon forget all those details because she was too busy looking at the barn owl one of them had brought.

When the train finally pulled to its destination, it was dark out. A waning crescent moon shined its thin reflection against a puddle on the platform. It was a cold night and Lily stood closely to Fei and Severus to keep warm. The older students weren't moving so the first years took their lead and stayed on the platform as well, not knowing at all what they should be looking out for.

"Firs' years! Firs' years!"

A lamp appeared from the darkness and it bobbed towards them. The circular light seemed suspended 7 feet above the ground until the figure holding it got into the train's headlights. There were several gasps from the first years. A giant of a man stood beaming down at the crowd of students. His hair and beard were long and wild but Fei could tell that he was smiling because he had at least kept the hair around his mouth trimmed. That and the fact that he was chuckling as he talked.

"C'mon, follow me! Mind yer step, now! Follow me!"

He gave a wave of his hand and walked back in the opposite direction.

"Wait!" Fei called out and everyone stopped short.

The giant turned back and he narrowed his eyes. "Who said that? Anythin' wrong?"

"Can Xiao come?" Fei asked.

"Xiao?"

The bird let out a high pitched trill and the giant's smile returned. "Blimey! Is that a Vermillion Crane? I always wanted ter see one. Distant cousins of the Phoenix, aren't they?" he said as he ambled over to get a better look at Xiao and then realization dawned on his face, "Oh! That's right! You must be Fei! I'm meant ter tell ya. Yer little friend is goin' to stay with me. Rubeus Hagrid, but you can call me Hagrid. Everyone does. I'm Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. Don't worry! I live just in the hut outside of the castle. You can visit Xiao anytime you want, with permission from the professors, of course."

He added the last part when he saw how pale Fei had gotten when he introduced himself.

"I…"

"Oh, get a move on! I'm freezing!" one of the first years called out and Hagrid quickly looked around.

"Right. Right. We need ter get moving. Don't want to be late for the Sortin' now."

Lily clutched Fei and Severus' elbows while they followed him to a steep and narrow path. Fei was feeling even colder than she was before and she kept looking at Xiao, as if he at any moment he will be snatched away.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called out over his shoulder.

Everyone ooh'ed and aah'ed when the narrow path opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. The school was at the other side of it. Even in dim moonlight, they could see a dignified castle sitting on top of a high mountain. Stars glittered in the sky above it and warm light pooled out of its many windows.

"Right then. No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid shouted, pressing forward, until they saw a fleet of little boats along the shore. Fei, Severus, Lily, and Xiao climbed into one. Hagrid had one all to himself at the front. "Everyone in? Good. FORWARD!"

The boats sailed all at once, gliding smoothly across the black, sparkling lake. No one spoke a word. They were too busy looking at the castle, which was getting closer and closer.

"Heads down!" Hagrid warned when they got close to the cliff. Everyone bent their heads and the boats carried them through a curtain of ivy and under the castle. Fei felt it brush down her neck and back, like a gentle caress. When she looked up, they were moving through a dark tunnel until they got to an underground harbor. The boats stopped and they got out, stepping onto rocks and pebbles.

Hagrid led them up a passageway and onto smooth, damp grass right at the base of the castle steps. The rest of the first years walked up with nerves and excitement taking over their awed silence. Fei, however, had something very important to do. She freed herself from Lily's grip and she pushed herself to the front, Xiao at her heels.

"Hagrid! Hagrid!" she called, "I have to tell you about Xiao's diet. It's very important."

"C'mon. Give it a rest! It's just a bird," she heard someone say as she walked past but she ignored them.

Hagrid slowed down his pace and when Fei reached him, he smiled at both her and Xiao. "Got a picky eater, have we? Got experience in that. Raised a couple o' Skuttle Plovers once. Didn't want ter eat anything but hand-crushed apples." Fei blinked and Hagrid put his big hands on her back, covering both her shoulder blades. "I know it's hard ter say goodbye ter yer friend. How about this? I'll bring him in ter the Great Hall, that way he can be there ter see yer Sortin' and be there through dinner. Then, when you are off ter bed, I'll take him home."

Fei felt her eyes tingling and her throat constrict with gratitude. She could only nod.

"And I meant what I said. Yer welcome ter visit at anytime and if Xiao gets lonely, I'll let yer know."

Xiao let out a trill and Hagrid laughed. "Sounds like he likes that plan too."

Fei nodded again. She wanted to hug this man but she feared she didn't know exactly how to angle her arms and go about it so instead, she just gave him the biggest smile she had ever given anyone in her life and walked along with him in silence.

When they reached the huge, oak front door of the castle, Hagrid raised a fist and knocked three times. The door swung open almost immediately. A tall witch in emerald-green robes stood there looking at them with a stern expression.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." The door opened to its fullest and they could now see the entrance hall in its entirety. It was bigger than the courtyard at home. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches and the ceiling was too high to make out. A magnificent marble staircase stood in front of them. There were noise and light coming from the closed double doors at the right of the hall but instead of leading them there, Professor McGonagall showed them into a small, empty chamber next to it.

Fei gave one last look at Xiao before the doors closed behind her. Hagrid gave her an encouraging wave and then fed Xiao something from his pocket, which Xiao happily gobbled down, which appeased Fei enormously.

The room barely fit them all and Fei winced when both Severus and Lily managed to find her, step on her toes and elbow her in the sides at the same time.

"Sorry," Lily whispered while Severus just shrugged as his apology.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said. Even though the room was filled with people, she did not have to raise her voice or shout. She had the stature and presence that everyone naturally paid attention to, "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is very important because, while you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of our House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room."

She went on to explain the four houses, House points, and the House Cup, which seemed rather pointless to Fei. If people were here trying to break rules and not learn, then why would they come here in the first place? Why reward something they should already be doing?

"Now the Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Her eyes lingered on a few students who looked particularly disheveled from the boat ride. Then she left the room.

"I wonder how we're going to get sorted," somebody whispered.

"My brother told me it was going to be a test. You're supposed to transform a toad into something," their friend answered.

"But I don't know how to do that?!" another person moaned.

Severus let out another one of his throat noises and Fei looked at him. "Do you know?"

He shook his head. "No, but I highly doubt we would be asked to do something as complicated as Transfiguration."

"You must be Lady Fei!" someone said as he and his friend shoved two frightened boys out of their way and hustled over to Fei, Severus, and Lily, "I'm Ellis Avery and this is Barrow Mulciber."

He paused as if waiting for someone to react to his name. When no one did, he coughed and continued on. He had short blonde hair and a prominent, square jaw. His friend, Barrow, was about the same height as Sirius, and had his brown hair shaved closely to the sides of an otherwise quite boyish face.

"I'm sorry I missed you at the Malfoy's party," he said, "Both Mulciber and I were vacationing with our parents in Albania."

"Oh," was all Fei could say to that. She did not know exactly where Albania was and she did not really care about either of them. Thankfully, Professor MacGonagall returned and saved Fei from any more small talk.

"The Sorting Ceremony's about to start. Please form a line and follow me."

Fei ended up standing between Severus and Lily with Severus at the front. Lily was clutching the back of Fei's robes and kept yanking it every time she noticed something magical, which was almost every second.

The Great Hall was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in mid-air over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. The ceiling looked like it wasn't there at all. Instead, a black velvety night sky dotted with stars rested over their heads. Golden goblets and plates were laid out on the tables as well as a table at the top of the hall. The teachers sat there and Fei saw Professor Dumbledore, whose eyes twinkled at every student and Professor Slughorn, who gave her a very obvious wave. Professor MacGonagall led them right to the teachers so that they stood facing the rest of the students with their backs turned to the staff table.

Professor MacGonagall placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. Then she put a pointed wizard's hat on top of the stool. It was a very old and worn hat with dust and dirt crusted on top of it's frayed fabric. For a second, there was complete silence and then the hat moved. A rip near the rim of the hat opened wide like a mouth and started to sing.

It sang the praises of the school's four founders and the houses. Fei was not really paying attention since she was too busy studying the professors at the table. There was a ghost and a tiny little wizard among them and she couldn't guess what subjects they would teach.

_So I'll read your mind  
__And know your kind.  
__Don't be scared of  
__what I'll say.  
__I'll sort you right.  
__Just hold on tight.  
__And I'll send you  
__ on your way._

Fei caught the last of the Sorting Hat's words and that's when she grew alarmed. What did he mean by don't be scared? Was there something to be scared of? Is there something he'll find out about me that would be scary? Fei bit her lip. If he did read her mind, how much would he know? Did she even want to know?

A sense of dread filled Fei. What if he found out that she was actually some sort of special, blessed child? Could the Royal Seer be actually right? She didn't want to be the Auspicious Child anymore. She just wanted to be normal.

The more she thought about it, the more she didn't like the idea of having someone, even a hat, rifling through her mind. Her mind was her own and who was he to judge?

Professor MacGonagall held out a long roll of parchment and started to call out names alphabetically, starting from "Aneris, Ashley." It took only a few seconds before she was declared a Ravenclaw.

"Avery, Ellis!" became a Slytherin even before the hat could touch his head and "Appleton, Gregory" was the first Gryffindor declared for that year.

As Professor MacGongall continued on, Fei grew more wary with each person she saw sorted. The longest it seemed to take the hat was only a minute. How could the hat decide something so quickly? How could he size up somebody's thoughts within seconds? What if he got it wrong? Then he'd be condemning someone to a House they didn't belong to. Didn't Professor MacGonagall say the House would be like a family?

Fei felt nauseous. She had just managed to free herself, albeit temporarily, from one horrific family. She did not want to find herself in that situation now.

"Black, Sirius!"

Fei blinked. She watched as Sirius sauntered over to the stool with a cool expression on his face. However, it was all for show because as soon as he sat down, Fei could see that his fingers were gripping the edges of the stool. He was nervous.

"Gryffindor!" the hat exclaimed.

There were a couple of gasps at one of the tables and when the hat was pulled off of Sirius' head, he looked just as shocked by the outcome as well. He quickly recovered and put back on his lazy smile, taking a seat at a now cheering table.

Fei swallowed thickly. Sirius said himself that his whole family was in Slytherin and now he was in Gryffindor. This was evidence that the hat could make mistakes. Did it not see into Sirius' mind who his family was? Or did Sirius purposely not show it to throw it off the scent? How much should she show the hat? Everything? Nothing?

Her head was swimming and she wrung her hands together. Everything seemed to fly by now and before she knew it, Lily was on the stool.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"No!" Fei heard Severus hiss.

Lily jumped down off the stool and went to the Gryffindor table. Sirius grinned at her as she passed but she ignored him and sat down next to one of the first-year girls they had met on the train. She looked up at the tables and gave a small wave in Fei's direction. However, when she looked to Fei's left, her smile faltered ever so slightly.

Severus' fist was clenched tightly to his sides and it knocked into Fei's leg.

"It...It'll be fine," she said, although she didn't sound so convincing even to herself.

"You don't know anything," he whispered back.

"You might end up in Gryffindor too," Fei pointed out.

"I would rather die!"

"That seems rather extreme, especially since you and Lily could at least together. Isn't that what you really want anyway?"

Severus grew silent.

"Besides, with the way Lily stood up to James and Sirius for you on the train, I doubt she'd let something like Houses get in the way of your friendship. Did you see how she ignored Sirius at the table? She's still mad at him for how he treated you."

"Yeah. You're right," Severus said after taking a minute to mull over Fei's words and then he said, "Thank you, Fei."

"Just saying what I see," Fei replied, even though she understood the weight of the usually snide Severus expressing any sort of positive sentiment.

"Potter, James!"

Fei heard Severus suck in a breath, which he did not release when the Sorting Hat instantly declared, "GRYFFINDOR!" When Lily did not cheer or clap for her House's latest addition, though, Severus finally loosened his grip.

Giving Severus a pep talked actually calmed Fei down as well. There was no need to get worked up, she decided. She was just going to ask the Sorting Hat a few questions herself before she allowed him to look into her mind. Yes. That would be her plan.

"Snape, Severus!"

Severus walked slowly to the stool like he was receiving a death sentence. It was not what Fei expected since he had shown so much enthusiasm on the train for this moment.

"Slytherin!"

The look on Lily's face was sadder than the one on Severus' as he moved to the table but he barely glanced over at her. Fei's eyes followed him to the Slytherin table and that's when she noticed Lucius Malfoy, seated near the head of the table with a shiny badge pinned to his robes. He seemed to know that she was looking because he turned to her and gave her a smile that did not reach his eyes.

Fei studied the occupants of the Slytherin more closely. They were not as vocal or as celebratory as the other tables. In fact, they were eyeing everything and everyone warily. Much like what she had been doing during the entire ceremony. Maybe she belonged in Slytherin?

She shrugged to herself. It didn't matter, she reminded herself, as long as she was at Hogwarts.

"Yun, Fei-Ying!"

She jumped. She didn't realize it was her turn already. There were a few giggles in the table and that's when she noticed she was one of only two first years left at the top. Her eyes, behaving on their own accord, darted to find Lily's but instead found Sirius' first. He was giving that challenging look of his. Daring her to do...something.

Fei could feel her indignance rise again. She scolded herself for behaving so childishly and sat smartly on the bench. She had a plan and she would act accordingly.

The hat went over her head and the brim fell over her eyes, blocking her vision.

"Well now…" said a small voice in his ear.

_No!_, Fei thought, _You will not read my mind just yet._

"Oooh. Very interesting," the small voice sang out, "You're trying to block me out? You don't want to get sorted?"

She heard the voice chuckle and then he said nothing for a long time. She could feel something tickling at the back of her brain but she just thought a loud _No!_ In her head and then it went away. She was beginning to sweat. Holding her own against the hat was proving to be quite a challenge but she was determined.

_First, I have to get a few things straight_, Fei thought.

The voice made a clucking noise. "Distrustful, are we? Definitely not Hufflepuff then."

_You do NOT get to judge me this quickly_, Fei thought,_ I do not want you to put me in the wrong House._

"Oh? Is there a particular one you wanted to avoid?'

_No..._ Fei admitted, _But I just don't want it to be the wrong one._

"I see," the small voice said thoughtfully, "Very well, child. What is that you wish for me to know?"

_I'm not here to be the best...or to make friends...or to prove that I'm brave or cunning or whatever_, Fei thought,_ I'm here to learn and just...be me!_

"You are an interesting child...In more ways than one," the small voice said eerily, "Now...may I see your thoughts now? I haven't reached a conclusion yet and you need to be Sorted."

_Very well,_ Fei thought as she shifted in her seat. _If you must._

"I insist," the small voice said. The hat seemed to get tighter and tighter around her head. It was squeezing her until it was actually starting to cause some pain and then when Fei didn't think she could take anymore, she heard him shout out to the room, "SLYTHERIN!"

When Fei pulled off the hat, she heard no cheers or applause, not even from her new House. Everyone around her was stunned, including Professor MacGonagall, who couldn't decide whether to look at her or the hat.

"Hurry up, Princess. Do you need a map to get to your table?" Sirius' suddenly called out.

Fei bristled while the laughter amongst the students, broke them free from whatever stupor they were in before. The Slytherin table began to clap as she headed their way and she took a seat next to Severus, who was looking at her the way one studied an animal.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"What happened with the Sorting Hat?"

"What do you mean?" Fei asked, "Same thing as you and everyone else."

"No. Not the same," Severus said, "Because ours didn't take 10 minutes and...we didn't rip the hat."

"I...what?!"

Fei looked over to the stool where "Zalenial, Prallis" was the last to get sorted. At first, Fei didn't notice anything different about the hat until she saw that the rip along the brim now had a second tear that went halfway up towards the tip.

"What did you do to it?" Severus asked.

"I...I honestly don't know."


	8. The Slytherin Dungeon

**Ch. 8 - The Slytherin Dungeon**

"First years. Come."

Lucius Malfoy commanded the line of first years like a general. His prefect badge flashed in the candlelight of the Great Hall, which dimmed more and more as they reached the end of dinner. The food was cleared away and Fei could see some of the students were getting bleary eyed, having stuffed themselves silly. She had only taken a few bites out of the things that looked the most intriguing - Yorkshire Pudding and peppermint humbugs were her favorites of the taste test. She also noticed that Severus had stopped eating after the appearance of the Bloody Baron. Even though he was translucent and did not have actual blood on him, per se, the greying splotches around his body and clothes left little to the imagination.

She wasn't surprised that the two of them ended up at the front of the line when dinner had ended and they were told they had to head back to the common rooms. They seemed the most alert and it looked like Lucius Malfoy noticed it too.

"Ah, Lady Fei," Lucius Malfoy said smoothly. He nodded to Severus as an acknowledgment of his presence but then turned back to Fei, "Isn't it funny how _some _people behave like animals as soon as they are out of their parents' sight?"

He gave a sneer towards the first years gathering clumsily behind them and then to the other culminating lines from the other Houses.

"I wouldn't put it past some of them to be actually raised by animals," Severus muttered under his breath and a grin spread on Lucius' face.

"Well said...And you are?"

Severus stood a little taller. "Severus Snape."

"I don't recognize your name," Lucius replied, which deflated Severus a little, but then Lucius tilted his head, "But at least you seem to have the right idea. Come along. Let's not dawdle."

He turned with a flourish and strode briskly out the Great Hall without another warning and led them deeper through the Great Hall. Fei looked behind her and saw that the other Houses were ascending the different stairwells that led to different floors. Some of them even began to move and there were shrieks of terror and thrill that echoed off the stone walls. The Slytherin's, however, did not go near any of them. Instead, they were led to winding stairwell that went down. Very down. The stone steps were smooth and cold and the walls had no railings or any carvings to grab onto if someone should slip and fall.

"I actually wouldn't mind being raised by animals," Fei said as she carefully made her way down the steps.

"What?" Lucius asked while Severus made his disparaging throat noise. Fei was getting quite used to the sound now. He had made it during particularly loud conversations at the table that evening. However, she chose to ignore it.

"Animals are a lot easier to be around," Fei said, "They are more straightforward when it comes to their wants and needs."

"Yes," Lucius agreed and Fei almost tripped on a step at his agreement but then he continued and spoiled the moment for her, "Some people can be quite tiresome and so dull. They don't even deserve to be thought of as animals."

It wasn't what she meant but Fei decided she would rather not argue considering that the steps somehow had gotten steeper.

"Lucius?" Fei asked, "Has anyone ever died on these steps?"

"No," Lucius said and he sounded a bit disappointed of that fact.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and went down a labyrinth stone corridor lined with firelit torches. Sounds of water droplets echoed through the cold, vast space. They passed by several rooms, turned several corners, until Fei knew she had completely lost track of which direction they came from. The only thing she knew for sure was that the floor was set at an angle and they were getting even lower underground and farther away from the Great Hall. She didn't even think they were near the castle.

They stopped abruptly in front of a stretch of bare, damp stone. Lucius looked at the wall and said, loud enough for the first years to hear, "Snakewood!"

A door etched out from the wall and slid open, just big enough for one person to walk through, leading them straight to the common room. It was a long room with a low ceiling, rough stone walls, and greenish lamps hanging from chains. Right at the top of the room was an elaborately carved but thick stone mantelpiece and a lush fire crackling under it. Plush green armchairs with high backs stood around the room with several dark wooden tables set between some of them. There were already a few older Slytherins sitting in some of them and they eyed each of the first years like they were choosing a calf to slaughter.

Two descending stone steps were at each end of the fireplace and Lucius pointed to the one on the right. "That one leads to the girl's dormitories and the other one is for the boys. Your things have already been placed for you so go find your beds," he said in a bored tone but then he smiled at Fei, "Lady Fei, your things are in the room at the end of the hall to the left. You should find that you have an excellent view."

"View of what?" a girl standing behind Fei sniffed, "We're obviously in the dungeons. There will be nothing for her to see other than dirt."

There were a few people that laughed but that was quickly quelled when Lucius gave her a withering look.

"Clearly you know everything," Lucius said, "Then you don't need me anymore. Good night."

With that, he gave a small bow to Fei and then turned on his heels. He walked towards some of the other students leaving the first years a little dumbfounded on what to do next.

"I guess we go to find our things then," Severus said slowly and he turned to Fei, "I personally don't care where I sleep. I'm more worried about how we're going to find our way to class tomorrow. We have Charms with Ravenclaw after breakfast."

"I know," Fei agreed, "I wonder-"

"Lady Fei!"

Ellis Avery and Barrow Mulciber elbowed their way over to them with grins on their faces. "What'd you think of the food? I was surprised it was so normal...I'd expected something more interesting for the first day of school," Ellis said while Barrow snorted loudly through his nose.

"Don't mind Avery. He's just pouting because he didn't get his daily feeding of foie gras and caviar."

"Shut it, Mulciber," Avery said and gave him a light-hearted punch in the arm.

"I don't know what any of those things are," Fei said and then turned pointedly away from the two. She grabbed Severus by the elbow and she started to turn him away too, walking towards two empty chairs in the corner, "Severus, let's go talk somewhere else."

"Awww. Don't be like that Lady Fei," Avery said with a pout but when she didn't respond, his pout turned into a sneer, "What? Think you're too good for us, Your Royal Highness?"

Mulciber snickered while Fei's back stiffened up. She was going to ignore it and she continued to walk but then she saw that Severus was not budging. She looked up at him and he was staring at the two boys with a twist on his lips.

"Don't mind Fei," he said matching the tone Mulciber had, "She didn't hit her daily quota of being prim and proper."

Fei gasped and looked at Severus while the other two boys roared with laughter.

"That's a good one!" Avery said, "Severus, was it? Come on. Let's go find our things."

"Severus?" Fei asked as Avery and Mulciber threw their hands over Severus' shoulders and hauled him towards the boys' dormitory.

Severus gave Fei a wry shrug as if it to say he couldn't help it and then he said, "Don't worry, Fei. I'll meet you tomorrow at breakfast. We can figure out how to get to class in the morning."

Fei clasped her hands together and squeezed them tightly. She doubted he would've abandoned Lily like that. Of course, she would not go as far as to think that she and Severus were friends but she'd at least thought that they would be able to figure out all of this together. They were in the same boat. At least, she thought they were.

"Boys are the worst," someone hissed in her ears, "They are too stupid to even realize how dumb they are."

A girl with long, blonde hair and a very thin nose stood behind Fei. She had her hands clasped behind her back and her head tilted to the side like she was listening for secrets. Next to her stood a much shorter girl with brown hair chopped right at the chin and a pout on her lips.

"I'm Florence Derwent," the blonde girl said then nodded to her friend, "And this is Brooke Rosewood."

Brooke smiled shyly at Fei. "P-Pleased to meet you, Your Highness."

Fei had to smother a groan with her hand, covering it with a cough, and she gave them a nod. "Call me Fei."

"Oh. Yes, of course," Florence said quickly, "It must be so nice to be outside of the palace walls. All that formality and nonsense."

Fei's posture relaxed. She was relieved she didn't have to explain herself.

"Come on," Florence said, hooking her arm around Fei's and pulling her towards the girl's dormitory, "Let's go find our beds."

It turned out that there indeed was a view in their room and it was right by Fei's four-poster bed hung with deep emerald curtains. Fei's trunk was resting at the foot of the bed. Everyone else's had a pile of at least three bags. While everyone was busy sifting through their stuff to find their pajamas, Fei had quickly dressed and was pressing her nose against the cool window.

On the other side was dark water, lit by enchanted torches with green fire on the other side of her bedroom wall. She had no doubt that this was the black lake that they had sailed across. Every once in a while, she would see a shadow or a silhouette glide by. The fires cast a hazy glow in the water that shifted and waved as if she was looking up at the northern lights. It was beautiful.

"Is that all you brought, Fei?" Florence asked incredulously, "Or are your servants going to bring more of your stuff later?"

It took some effort for Fei to tear herself away from the view and she shook her head. "I don't have any servants."

"But I heard that you brought a house-elf with you!"

Fei's eyes narrowed. She didn't care for the girl's tone and for another thing, she didn't like that Florence knew about Po. Fei obviously didn't tell her so who did? "Po is not my servant," Fei said tersely, "And I do not understand why the quantity of my possessions is any of your concern."

Florence must've realized then that she had crossed a line and she immediately smiled nervously at Fei. "Sorry, Your M- I mean, Fei. I was just surprised that's all. I was expecting…Hey! What's that?"

She had reached into Fei's trunk and pulled out one of the bottom pieces for Fei's ruqun. It was a light green silk with white and pink embroidery of peonies and cranes. "Wow. This looks very luxurious. Can I try it on?"

Fei could feel herself getting towards the edge of her temper. "No," she said, "Do not touch my things."

"Don't be so stingy," Florence said as she took off her school robes and started to shimmy into the skirt. Since she was a full three inches taller than Fei, the skirt stopped right above her ankles instead of down to the floor where it should be. However, Florence did not seem to mind, "Oh! This hugs me perfectly! Can I have it?"

"_Tui!"_

_Wham!_

Florence was suddenly flung across the room and slammed back first against the wall behind her. The wind was knocked out of her as she dropped to the floor, the skirt ripping at the sides when she landed.

"Florence!" Brooke cried aghast but she didn't move from her bed. She was shaking all over and she had to brace herself before looking at Fei, who had her hossu out in her extended hand.

"What was that?"

They heard footsteps running down the hall and the promise of an audience seemed to give Florence the boost she needed to get over her shock.

"You're in for it now, _Your Highness," _she sneered mockingly, "Using magic against another student? They'll have you expelled for sure."

Fei pulled her hand back but she still clutched her hossu. It trembled in her grip with the bundle of hair swaying back and forth. She shouldn't have lost her temper but Florence just wasn't listening and it made her so, so angry.

The memory of her father flashed in her eyes. The look of fury and rage that consumed him made her drop her hossu to the ground just as a group of older girls ran into the room.

"What happened?" asked a much older girl with light brown hair that was swept up in a loose curly ponytail. She had a green and silver badge pinned at her robes with _Head Girl_ inscribed on it. She spoke as firmly as Professor MacGonagall but it was softer. Her big brown eyes scanned the room, pausing at the rip in Florence's skirt and the hossu at Fei's feet.

"I-" Fei started to say.

"She _hurled_ me into the wall just because the dress looked better on me than her," Florence wailed. She put her hands to her face and sobbed dramatically, "Just ask Brooke. She saw the whole thing."

The Head Girl looked to Brooke, who was wringing her blanket in her hands. "Florence went over to Fei's things and she pulled out the skirt. Fei told her not to touch it but Florence didn't listen. She asked Fei if she could try it on but even though Fei said no, she put it on anyway. Fei got mad and then cursed her to the wall," she said in one seamless breath.

"I used on magic on her but I did not curse her," Fei corrected before Florence could defend her behavior and Fei squared her shoulders. Lying was not going to help her situation and she doubted anything could so she might as well be honest, "I'm sorry I lost my temper but I'm not sorry for casting her away."

Florence's stopped mid-cry and she looked at Fei in shock, revealing no tears on her face. Not even any redness in her cheeks.

"I...see…" the girl said slowly. She walked up to Fei and then she stopped right in front of the hossu. She picked it up. "Is this yours?"

Fei nodded.

"Kick her out! She should be expelled for attacking a fellow student," Florence howled.

"That is not up to me to decide," the girl said patiently and then she handed the hossu back to Fei, much to Florence's horror, "And even if it was, I don't think I would be doing that tonight. It is only the first day of school and no real harm has been done."

"N-No harm?!" Florence gasped, "But what about me?! She hurled me into a-"

"A wall. Yes, I heard you the first time," the girl said. In one fluid motion, she pulled out her wand and pointed it right at Florence, who squealed and put her arms out in futile protection. The girl then redirected the wand to Florence's legs, "_Reparo."_

The fabric of the skirt mended back, the fibers threading through one another as if never broken.

"Like I said, no harm done," the girl continued, "I'll chalk it up to jitters on your first day and let this slide but if you two cause trouble again, I will send both of you to Professor Slughorn for disciplinary actions. You, Fei-Ying Yun, for attacking another student and you - Yes! You, Florence Derwent - for stealing."

Florence was too angry to speak and she looked like she was about to burst into tears for real. Fei, however, nodded in total acquiescence. "Call me Fei."

The girl smiled, showing deep dimples and kind eyes. "I'm Andromeda, the Head Girl, if you haven't already noticed so if you have any questions feel free to ask me."

"Head Girl?" Fei asked, "What does that mean?"

"It means that I have the most authority when the professors are not around and have to help out around the school. Think of me as a prefect but slightly higher."

Fei blinked. "Sirius Black told me that a prefect was a boring sod."

Andromeda gave a loud, unladylike snort and then she threw her head back and laughed. "That sounds like Sirius alright. He's my cousin, you know? Oy! Stop crowding the doors. Okay. Nothing to see here. Everybody out. Let's get some rest. Everyone's got class tomorrow morning, right? Let's move along!"

She shooed the rest of the girls away from the bedroom except for two other first-year girls, who crept in during the bustle because they occupied the last two beds in the room. One of them was the girl who made the comment about the dungeons to Lucius. She had a perfectly round face with rectangular glasses perched at the tip of her freckled nose. The rest of her body was lean and long, even taller than Sirius.

"Mercy. There really is a view!" she gasped, forgetting what had transpired and rushing to the window., "Come look, Johanna!"

A plump girl with straw-like hair tied into a messy bun came over. The lights reflected in her round, black eyes. "Wow," she breathed, "I've never seen something like this before. How do you suppose they enchanted the flames?"

"We can ask tomorrow at Charms, couldn't we?" the girl with the glasses said.

"Do you mind?" Florence shrieked as she tore the skirt off of her and threw it in Fei's face. Fei did not catch it and let it drop limply on the floor, "I'm trying to get to bed."

"S-Sorry," the girl with the round face said, "I'm Ernestine Bricks and this is Johan-"

"I don't _care_ who you are," Florence hissed and then stomped off to the bathroom.

"She'll...calm down, I hope," Brooke said quietly, slipping into her own sleepwear. It was a white dress with lace at the cuffs and collar.

Ernestine clicked her tongue. "She's just mad that she's not going to be living like a princess. Thought she could get on your good side, Fei, and reap all the benefits that one. What a twit. You don't have to worry about me, Fei. The palace life doesn't interest me."

"Then what does?" Fei found herself asking.

Ernestine's eyes shimmered behind her glasses and she smiled. "The Dark Arts."

"Don't you mean The Defense Against the Dark Arts?" her friend Johanna asked.

"Well, we're going to have to learn about the Dark Arts in order to know how to defend against it, ya?"

Johanna didn't look so convinced. "I'm more looking forward to Herbology. You?"

Fei shrugged but didn't speak anymore. She had had enough for the day and she was very tired of it all. She couldn't wait to find time tomorrow to see Xiao and hopefully, she can check on Po too. She had thought that maybe she could ask him for directions but she would have to find the kitchens first to do so, ironically.

She got into her own white silk nightdress and crawled under the covers. She prayed that tomorrow will be a better day. She wondered if Lily was having better luck with her rooming situation and then before she could stop herself, her mind went to Sirius.

_Royal Pain._

She winced at the voice in her head and she quickly moved it aside. Her last thought, as she drifted off to sleep, was that Sirius and Andromeda were two very different people despite being in the same family. A family that Sirius hated. Maybe Sirius was the bad one in his family and not the other way around?

* * *

A/N: - Tui (退) - means to retreat or to get back. Usually, Tui Xia (退下) is the command given for one to retreat or even to be dismissed/back off.


	9. Double Potions

**Ch 9 - Double Potions**

"Look at her. Yah! She attacked someone on the very first day!"

"That's wild."

"She thinks she can get away with anything just because she's a princess. Diplomatic Immunity or something."

"Please. I heard she wasn't even a princess but she makes everyone call her that. It's her dad that's the prince."

"I heard-"

Fei slammed her copy of _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_ shut as hard as she could, making everyone at the Slytherin table jump. She did not respond when there were whispers in Charms. She did not react when it continued the next day in Herbology or the next in Transfigurations. She kept quiet throughout the whole week, hiding out in the Owlery or at Hagrid's, which she very much enjoyed because of the company he liked to keep. Most of them were four legged.

But now it was Friday and she was at the end of the rope. Five days of taking the high road. Five days of ignoring all the silliness but it just wasn't going away.

"Just ignore them," Severus said tersely under his breath while he picked at his eggs. He was sitting across the table from Fei, "It's ridiculous prattle amongst dimwits like Florence Derwent."

"But it's spreading," Fei groaned, "I heard some people talking in the library and they were in Hufflepuff! I thought you said they were the friendly ones."

Severus snorted.

"We have Double Potions together," Lily said brightly. She was sitting next to Severus but with her legs dangling on the other side of the bench. She had gotten into the habit of coming to them after she had finished eating, "That's something to look forward to. Right, Fei?"

"I guess," Fei said as she got up to her feet. She gathered her books and crammed it into her bag, "I'm going to stop by the Owlery. There are some eggs that are about to hatch and I want to make sure I didn't miss it."

Lily frowned. "But the Owlery is on the opposite end of the castle. You won't make it to Potions in time."

"Yes, I will," Fei said, "I found a shortcut."

Lily's eyes lit up and she leaned across the table. "Where?" she whispered.

"I'll...show you next time," Fei replied.

"Let me come. I won't get in the way. I have a letter I want to send anyways," Lily said as she got to her feet.

Fei hid her frown. It wasn't that she didn't want to share her secret with Lily. It was just wherever Lily went Severus came along too and Fei just knew that the only reason Severus tolerated her in the first place was because Lily did. There was also the matter of what happened with Avery and Mulciber on the first night. Fei had not forgotten how quickly Severus walked away from her when someone else came along.

Severus did have his good traits, as few as they are, but Fei was willing to admit that he was really smart and was good at his studies. He was also willing to share what he knew, as long as one was willing to get a few insults about their intellect from time to time. Considering what other people were saying about her, Fei found Severus' sarcastic barbs harmless and frankly, a better alternative than baseless gossip. He was also the first person to take her side as soon as she explained what had happened with Florence and he even suggested a few hexes she could use the next time that were much more clandestine.

She would never do it, of course, but it was good to know that at least one person believed her. Well, two because Lily did as well.

"Florence, I cannot believe you," Lily said sternly when they passed by her to get out of the Great Hall, "You shouldn't spread lies about Fei."

"Lies? What lies?" Florence asked innocently, "She did attack me on our first night. Came screaming at me with that _stick_ waving around like a mad woman, demanding I grovel to her and kiss her toes."

The girls around Florence glared at Fei, which didn't surprise her in the slightest. It was just like how it was in court. Despite what they saw...despite what they _knew_...they were going to go along with the lies because of the attention _they_ were getting from everyone as "witnesses". Well, if they wanted to deal in lies, then Fei will too.

"It's okay. I'm more concerned about your - What do you call it here?," Fei said quietly and turned to Severus, "The little painful bumps in your skin? We learned about them in Herbology the other day."

Florence scrunched up her face and she looked at Fei in confusion. "What?"

"...Boils?" Severus asked.

Fei nodded, "Yes. Thank you. When you took off the skirt, Florence, I did see that there were boils all down your backside. Big red ones. You should really go to the hospital ward and have them checked. I can't imagine it's good sitting on all that...what is it again that's in them, Severus?"

He flashed a nasty smile at a now horrified Florence. "Pus."

"Oh! I cannot believe you did that, Fei," Lily exclaimed when they were out of earshot and near the Owlery, "But maybe _that _will make them talk about something other than you."

"That was...clever of you."

Fei smiled, not for the compliment but because she knew coming from Severus it meant he had just called her brilliant.

The Owlery was a drafty stone room at the top of Hogwarts' West Tower. There were windows that lined individual perches that were carved into the wall but the windows had no glass in it, allowing the birds and the wind to come in and go freely. Lily shivered while Fei walked in to greet the person in charge of the Owlery, Canyon Goldhorn.

Mr. Goldhorn, as he liked to be called, was a thin man that slouched so much that he naturally hunched when he walked. He had a beak-like nose and a few strands of grey hair draping over his shiny bald head.

"Good morning, Mr. Goldhorn," Fei said.

Mr. Goldhorn smiled. "Ah. Miss Yun. I see you brought some friends with you. Did you come to check up on the wee ones?"

Fei nodded. "Have they hatched yet?"

"No sign yet but I'll be sure to let you know as soon as they do. Maybe I'll send you an owl." He laughed and clutched his stomach as if he just told the best joke he ever heard. Then, when he was done, he wiped the tears from his eyes and he smiled again at Fei, "Or maybe I'll use your friend I've been hearing so much about. When am I going to be able to meet him?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Goldhorn. I'm not allowed to bring him to the castle. Those were Professor Dumbledore's instructions. Maybe you can come me to visit Hagrid some time."

Mr. Goldhorn let out a deep sigh and then waved his hand around. "But then who would be looking after them? I can't stray too far or else I might miss an important letter or an owl in need of care. They travel far and wide, you know."

Severus' eyes narrowed. "Do you read all the letters that come in?"

Mr. Goldhorn took great offense to it and he puffed out his chest. "Of course not! What do you take me for? I just make sure that the letters that come in are not...er...of the bad natured kind."

He leaned towards the children and wiggled his eyebrows. "Between you and me, there are some of our less popular teachers get sent hexes and curses from time to time. It's my job to spot those out and get rid of them."

"How?" Lily asked.

"Well, if I told you that I'd be a professor here and not the Owler," Mr. Goldhorn laughed, "Now hurry up and get to class. Don't be late now. Off with you."

"Okay but do tell me when the eggs are about to hatch," Fei said and she only left when Mr. Goldhorn gave her a solemn yes.

Lily and Severus were waiting for her in the middle of the stairs that wound around the outside of the tower. The wind blew past them, whistling hard, and almost drowning out Lily's words.

"So? Where's the shortcut?"

Fei looked around and even looked over the edge of the stairs to make sure no one was coming up. Then when she was satisfied, she cupped her hands to her mouth and said very clearly, "Po!"

_Crack!_

The palace elf appeared on the step above them with a smile on his face that vanished when he saw that Fei was not alone. "L-Lady Fei! What are you doing? No one besides you is supposed to see me around the school!"

"It's okay," Fei said as Lily gasped with delight, "They won't tell. Don't you remember them from Diagon Alley?"

"Hello, Miss Lily. Master Severus," Po said but then he frowned, "Lady Fei, aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"Yes," Fei said, "I need to get to Potions. Is there a room you can take us to near there?"

Po smiled and nodded. "Happy to take you."

Fei turned to Severus and Lily. "This is how I've been getting around the castle. Po gets all sorts of access since he helps the house-elves here clean the castle so he knows where to take me so we won't be seen."

"Amazing," Lily breathed, "And he can take all of us?"

"As long as we're all touching him," Fei said as she put a hand on his shoulder, "Grab on and don't scream."

"Why would I-" Lily started to say but then in a flash, they found themselves in a dark place that was very cold.

"W-Where are we?" Severus whispered.

A sliver of light came through and then it got brighter as Fei pulled a door open, revealing themselves standing in a broom cupboard.

"Three doors to your left, Lady Fei," Po said with a bow and then he was gone just as fast as he had appeared.

Severus was now looking at Fei with a newfound respect when they entered the classroom right on time.

"Lily! Over here! I saved you a seat!"

A pretty girl with white blonde hair waved to Lily near the front of the class. Severus and Lily's faces fell when they realized there were no other empty seats near that table.

"I'll see you guys at lunch?" Lily asked hopefully as Fei and Severus took a seat at the back. Fei nodded while Severus just busied himself with organizing his books.

"Oh, look. It's Princess Punisher and Snivelllus."

Lily was already more than halfway to her seat but she still whirled around stormed back to the two snickering boys that sat across the aisle from Fei and Severus. "Leave them alone, Sirius! I mean it!"

"Come on, Lily. We're just having a bit of fun," James grinned while Sirius managed to lean back on his backless seat and prop his feet up on the table.

"Relax, Evans."

The door near the front of the room swung open and Professor Slughorn strolled in with his arms opened wide and his large mustache bouncing along with his belly as he walked. "Welcome. Welcome to your first Potions class!" he said jovially and then he looked curiously at Lily, "Ah. Please take your seat, dear. You can chat with the boys later."

"Y-Yes, Professor," Lily said, turning as red as her hair. James blew a kiss as she walked away, making Sirius and some other boys around them laugh. It was a testament to how much Lily valued her studies that she didn't rise to the occasion and just sat down, never looking back in their direction once.

"Now then. Roll call," Professor Slughorn said, brandishing a long parchment off his desk like he was holding the key to life itself.

"Oh no," Fei whispered.

"What? It's just a roll call," Severus said just as quietly.

"Just you wait," Fei grumbled.

"Ah. Lady Fei, so good to see you again," Professor Slughorn said when it got to her turn. Fei followed in Lily's footsteps and kept her eyes on the professor, despite the chuckles she could hear coming from Sirius' table, "Now is that everyone? Good. Let's begin. Potion making is an exact art and a subtle science. It is sadly overlooked when one thinks of magic. People tend to veer towards the more dramatic flourishes of wands and incantations. However, in this classroom, you will find that potions is just as important, if not more powerful and effective than any spell you will ever learn. Through potions one can bottle fame, brew pure luck, and even cure death. Although, I do not recommend the latter. It is a ghastly process. Not that I've done it, mind you, but just reading about it is enough to know that it is not...pleasant."

He gave a shudder while Fei saw in the corner of her eye, Severus leaning a little further in his seat to get a better listen.

"Now then...Can anyone tell me what is a cure for most poisons and where can one find it?"

Severus' hand went up into the air. His was the only one.

"Yes. You..Mr…?"

"Snape. Severus Snape."

"Snivellus," Sirius hissed and Severus' fists clenched on the table.

"A bezoar. It's a stone taken from the stomach of a goat," Severus said as calmly as he could bring himself to do.

"Very good. 5 points to Slytherin for knowing that," Slughorn said, "Now bezoar is not very common and easily acquired so today, I will teach you how to brew a common cure for a common problem. Boils."

There was a loud snort at the front of the classroom followed by a shriek near the middle. Lily covered her mouth with her hands, shaking with laughter, while Florence looked like she was about to cry. The professor carried on without any acknowledgement to this seemingly odd behavior.

"Now everyone, pull out your scales and gather the ingredients you'll need from that open shelf over there," he said pointing to a cabinet near the side door and then with a wave of his wand, the ingredients and steps were listed out on the chalkboard.

"I'll get the ingredients. We'll use your scales," Severus said to Fei, getting up from his seat promptly and moving swiftly to the shelves of odd jars and vials. He was the first one to get there but he took his time carefully looking for everything that was needed.

Fei dug into her bag and pulled out the equipment. She was busy setting it up when it happened

"She's a bully, that one. Making up rumors about me just because I told the truth about her," Florence whimpered to a girl Fei did not recognize at the table behind Florence. The girl must've been a Gryffindor. Based on what she saw amongst the older students, it was odd for any Gryffindor or Slytherin to speak to one another so casually but then again, her and Lily's relationship was also that way. Maybe it was just their year.

"She spends all her time at the Owlery too. I see her there all the time when I'm sending letters to my mum," the other girl whispered back, "Maybe you got boils because her dress is covered in bird dung."

"I do _not _have boils!" Florence shrieked, jumping up and knocking all the ingredients Johanna had just brought back to the floor. Glass shattered and something sizzled and smoked. Florence looked around at all the eyes gaping at her and she promptly fled the classroom, bawling her eyes out.

Suddenly, everyone's eyes seemed to move to Fei as if all of this was her fault and the longer they looked at her, the more she was beginning to agree with them. She didn't mean to cause so much trouble. She was just trying to give Florence a taste of her own medicine. A rattling sound caught her attention and then she realized it was her hand, holding a weight against the scale. The vision of the scale began to blur and to Fei's horror she realized she was about to cry too.

She had more emotional control than Florence, however, and willed her eyes to dry. She took a beat and continued on setting up her equipment as if nothing had happened. Severus, to his credit, acted the same when he came back. He just heated up Fei's pewter cauldron, giving her an eyebrow raise when he saw that it was not the gold one he had first seen, and began crushing up some snake fangs.

"Excellent. That is exactly the color smoke we're looking for," Slughorn said to them when their potion was brewing. He was speaking even more enthusiastically than normal, wanting to restore the levity in the classroom, but his praise only seemed to make it worse.

_Kaboom!_

Out of nowhere, James and Sirius' cauldron flew up sky high, spilling the contents of a rather putrid smelling concoction across the floor and across a few desks.

"Gross! It's all over my book!" a boy in rather loosely fitted robes complained and he glared at the two boys, "What did you do?"

"Don't look at me, Remus!" James shouted, "Sirius just dumped all the horn slugs in before I even added the snake fangs."

"Sorry. Hand slipped," Sirius said over the sounds of gagging and horrified cries.

As Professor Slughorn rushed over to clean everything up with a wave of his wand, Sirius caught Fei's eyes very briefly and at that instant, she knew he had done it on purpose.

Fei and Severus' potion got them awarded 5 points for Slytherin which was the same amount Slughorn deducted from Gryffindor because of Sirius' stunt. It was all anyone complained about for the rest of the class and even for the rest of the day.


	10. The Silliest Black

**Ch 10 - The Silliest Black**

Fei always thought of herself as reasonably smart. She wasn't a genius or anything even in her best subjects. Severus seemed to be a natural at Potions, for instance, and Lily's knack for Transfiguration were impressing even the professors. However, Fei didn't think she would be struggling in any of her classes so she was very frustrated with herself when over a month had gone by and she could not produce a decent charm. It wasn't that her hossu got in the way or anything. The problem was that she had a horrible time pronouncing the words.

"_Wingaldiun Lee-vee-o-sar."_

The quill in front of her remained motionless. Fei buried her head down in her arms, collapsing on the oversized table in Hagrid's hut. It was now their usual lunch spot on a Saturday. "It's useless. I'm just not getting it."

"I thought I saw the feathers rustlin' a little," Hagrid said with a hopeful smile while he and Po busied themselves with a cauldron of stew, bubbling over the fire that was keeping them warm from the chilly October breeze.

"You really are the worst," Severus stated.

"Don't listen to him, Fei," Lily said, pulling Fei's shoulder back gently and lifting up her head like she was a mannequin. She even pushed up the sides of Fei's lips to form a smile, "Cheer up. At least you did better on your broomstick than he did."

Severus scowled at Lily's reminder. They had started flying lessons during their second week of school and even with weekly practice, he was still only able to hover about four inches off the ground and it was a shaky hover at best. It didn't help Severus' mood that they shared the class with the Gryffindors and James Potter was a natural. The broom was like another appendage to him and he maneuvered through all the exercises and obstacles swiftly and gracefully.

It was all the first years could talk about, pushing the gossip and rumors of Fei to the way-side. In fact, Sirius and James were topics of most conversations now because they had a penchant for troublemaking and were always getting into trouble for some ridiculous prank. They've vandalized a painting in the Great Hall by spraying a black mustache over a rather staunch-looking witch. They scattered marbles on the floor in the History of Magic classroom. People were slipping everywhere before Professor Bins noticed, as he was a ghost and had floated over everything without a second glance.

Lily was affected by their antics. She had gotten a reputation of being the Gryffindor know it all for raising her hand and answering almost every question in class but, as she complained to Fei and Severus constantly, it wasn't that she wanted to answer. She just wanted to gain points for Gryffindor so that Sirius and James didn't put them in the negative. To lose the House Cup was one thing but to lose and set a record for the lowest points ever would be a travesty.

"It's not a competition," Fei said, "I'm not trying to be better than anyone. I'm just _tryin_g...but it's not working."

Lily took Fei's hossu out of her hand and she moved Fei so that they were sitting face to face "Here. Repeat after me and pay close attention to my lips. Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa."

"WEEN-gal-dee-un-"

"No," Lily said, "Wing-garrrr. You have to emphasise the gar. Make it nice and long."

"Ween-"

"Wing!"

"Ween…"

"Wing!"

"Ring!"

"WING!" Severus hissed, startling the girls and making Hagrid's black boarhound, Fang, lift up his big head and blink at them with his droopy eyes. Xiao trotted over to them from Fang's side and he nudged Fei with his head.

She sighed. "It's no use, Xiao. Unless it's in Cathay, I don't think I can cast any spells."

To make it a point, she whispered a sharp "_Fei!"_ and with a swish of her hossu, the quill floated right up to Hagrid's ceiling.

"Could we maybe ask Flitwick if you could just use Cathayan spells?" Lily asked.

Severus shook his head. "That would only work if Fei and Flitwick knew all the spells in Cathayan, which I doubt either of them do."

"Is there a charm of some sort we could use to maybe help you with your pronunciation?" Lily asked and then looked to Severus, "Or maybe even a potion?"

"There is Enuntiaserum but that would require rare ingredients like-"

"The bones of a Babblefish?" Fei guessed.

Severus looked mildly impressed while Po came over to the table. Fei's feet were already dangling from the ground in Hagrid's enlarged chairs so Po's head only came to her knee as he looked up at her.

"Lady Fei, you have not had one since you first came to the United Kingdom," Po said with a bow, "Maybe it is time for you to have another?"

Severus and Lily shared a confused look so Fei quickly explained. "I drank a broth made from that. Now that I think about it, I had an easier time speaking English then...The effects must be wearing off. Do you have any of it left, Po?"

Po shook his head. "But Lord Gaozu will have some," he offered.

"That's right!" Fei gasped, "His English has been perfect ever since we got here...but would he actually give me any?"

"Of course he would. He's your father," Lily said exasperatedly while Severus' face showed more doubt.

"You can try writing to him," Po said wisely, "But we can also see if we can make it here? Hogwarts has many resources."

"I doubt even Professor Slughorn will have half the ingredients in his stock," Severus scoffed.

"But he might be able to use some of his connections to get them," Fei guessed. She and Lily had been invited to one of his events later that month and apparently, it was a gathering of the students with the most potential that he had been hosting for years. Through that, he knew many high-powered and popular wizards and witches.

"Do we have a Babblefish in the black lake, maybe?" Lily asked hopefully to Hagrid, who scratched his beard.

"I dunno, ter be honest...There's a whole lot in the Black Lake an' it's very deep. Whatever is down there survives on their own. I just go there from time ter time ter make sure that the water is clean an' not much has died."

"Not _much_ has died?" Severus asked incredulously.

"I'll go ask Professor Slughorn if he has what we need for this antiserum. See if he can help," Lily said.

"Enuntiaserum," Severus corrected but Lily wasn't listening.

Her green eyes flashed with determination. "Maybe he'll award us extra points if we manage to brew it ourselves."

"Don' yeh mean extra credit fer yer grades?" Hagrid asked.

Lily scowled. "No. I mean extra points. Sirius costed us another 10 points yesterday. He got caught outside of Gryffindor tower after school hours."

"Just Sirius? Potter wasn't with him?" Severus asked, "Aren't the two thick as thieves?"

"I'm glad he wasn't," Lily huffed, "Otherwise it would've cost us another 10 points. I'm getting so fed up with those arrogant duffers."

"Stews ready!" Hagrid called out, changing the focus on Gryffindor's young rabble rousers to setting the table and having lunch. They chatted more about creating the Enuntiaserum and by the time they bade Hagrid, Po, Xiao, and Fang goodbye, the three of them had a plan and they each set off to different locations in the castle to carry it out.

Lily went to Slughorn's office. Severus went to the library to study up more on the actual making of the Enuntiaserum and Fei went to the Owelry so she could send a letter to her father, asking if he could spare some Enuntiaserum to her. Fei exaggerated how poorly her English was getting so that it looked like she was embarrassing herself to the point that people were questioning the prowess of their family. Otherwise, she wasn't sure her father would actually help her out of the goodness of his heart. She wrote the entire letter in Cathay.

"You aren't going to use your friend to send the letter?" Mr. Goldhorn asked with a crestfallen expression when she requested to use a school owl.

Fei shook her head. "Xiao wouldn't know where to go and he is much easier to spot than an owl. It might upset Muggles."

"Oh...very well then," Mr. Goldhorn said and then gave Fei a snowy white owl to use, "Use Bathilda then. She's the fastest one we've got."

"Thank you," Fei said and then when she noticed that Mr. Goldhorn was still looking disappointed, she offered some words of encouragement of her own. She had grown a liking to this fellow bird enthusiast and she liked how well the owls were cared for under his watchful eyes, "I'll ask Professor Dumbledore if I can bring Xiao to the Owlery up to see you."

Mr. Goldhorn brightened up immediately. "You really mean it?"

Fei nodded. "Yes. I'm sure Xiao would love it up here too. It's so airy and you get a nice view of the school grounds."

"Best view in the house," Mr. Goldhorn said proudly.

Fei left the Owlery with her new mission in mind but when she returned to the castle, something else happened that caused her to forget her request to Dumbledore. A crowd had gathered in the Slytherin common room when she arrived. She could see Severus had just returned from the library as well because he stood at the back of the group with a stack of books in his hand.

"They're holding _Quidditch _trials tomorrow!" Avery crowed and then elbowed Mulciber hard in the gut, "I'm going to take a shot at it. How about you?"

Fei remembered that besides James Potter, Avery had also done extraordinarily well in their flying classes. He wasn't as fast and lacked James' finesse but he still went through the obstacles easily. She looked to Severus, who was gripping the books tightly and craning his neck so that he could see the notice that was spell-o-taped to the Slytherin bulletin board.

"Go on," Mulciber laughed, "You think you actually have a chance?"

"There hasn't been a first year player in over a century for any house. Do not make a fool of yourself and shame the Slytherin name...or even your father's," Lucius Malfoy stated smoothly. He stuck out his wand but cast no spells. He didn't need to. The crowd parted easily for him as he practically glided to the front. He then turned around to Severus and Fei, "Come and take a look."

He had taken a liking to Severus after the first day of school. They both shared the same sense of humor and it usually revolved around someone else's failures.

_**ANNOUNCEMENT:**_

_Try-outs for the Slytherin Quidditch Team will commence at 2:00pm on the Quidditch Field. The following spots will need to be filled:_

_Chaser_

_Beater_

_Keep in mind we are also looking for backup players for all positions so come to the try-outs even if the position you desired is not listed above. Serious applicants only. Brooms will not be supplied._

_Captain Steve Laughalot_

"How would you even try-out?" Fei asked Avery when she was done reading the notice, "You don't have your own broom."

Avery smirked. "I'll just borrow one, of course."

Lucius snorted. "And who would be foolish enough to lend a first year their broom?" His eyes swept across the crowd, daring someone to step forth, and when no one did, it was his turn to smirk at the now angered Avery. "Like I said...Do not shame this House."

His eyes flashed dangerously and he raised his voice. "And that goes to all of you. Even though this is a _Slytherin_ try-out, students from other Houses and even members of the faculty come by to watch. You are not just presenting yourself to the Quidditch team...You are basically presenting yourself to the entire school. Are we clear?"

"Oh, Lucius, let them have their fun," Andromeda said, sitting up from the wing back chair that had been hiding her from view. She got up and made her way to them. She threw her arm over Avery's shoulder, "I'll lend you my broom. It's a Comet 40, mind you. So treat it well."

Lucius looked thunderstruck while Avery looked like he had just been granted immortality.

"A Comet _40_?! They only just released it."

Andromeda shrugged. "Present from the family for becoming Head Girl."

"You can't do that," Lucius protested, "You...You can't-"

"I can and I did," Andromeda said, flashing a carefree grin at Lucius. Finally, Fei saw the resemblance between her and Sirius, "You can go complaining to Rosier if you want to but even as a fellow Head Boy, he can't stop me."

She gave a wink to Fei, ignoring the turmoil that was happening all over Lucius' face. "Would you like to give it a go? With your size, you could make a good Seeker, I think."

Fei shook her head. "No, thank you. I have no interest in Quidditch."

"What?!"

Everyone, boys and girls alike, were appalled by Fei's shocking revelation and she wondered if maybe her English had fallen to the point that she was no longer saying what she thought she meant.

Andromeda, however, let out a hearty laugh. "Let me guess...Was my dear cousin the professor of your Quidditch education?"

Fei nodded and Andromeda let out a loud snort. "How about this? You can come with me to the try-outs tomorrow and I can explain it. I'm a much better teacher."

"I know. You taught Sirius how to write hidden messages," Fei said.

Before Andromeda could comment, though, there was a bark of laughter from Lucius Malfoy. "Did...did you just call him Silliest? Oh! The Silliest Black. Yes. That is a good name for him."

The entire common room erupted into laughter, including Severus, while Fei looked to Andromeda, who had a blank expression on her face. "I didn't. I just...My pronunciation...I just-"

"I know," Andromeda said wearily, "But just let it go. There's no stopping it now."

Fei blinked. "Stopping what?"

By next morning, every Slytherin from first to seventh year was referring to Sirius as the Silliest Black and it caught like wildfire. Even the usually mild mannered Hufflepuffs were calling him that by the time lunch had started. Fei did not dare look at him but she could feel his eyes boring a hole in the back of her skull. When lunch was wrapping up and the students had started to leave the hall, though, she could not bear it any longer and she summed up her courage to go to the Gryffindor table just as he stormed out of the hall with James and two other boys trailing behind him.

"Silius, I-" she started to say when she caught up to him on one of the stairwells. He whirled around, gripping the edges of the railing as if to keep himself from strangling her.

"Stop calling me that!" he hissed.

Fei suddenly felt very angry. It was so unfair. She was having trouble with her pronunciation. Why can't anyone understand that? Why couldn't he?! He knew she had trouble. He had never minded it before so why was he angry at her about it now?

"I just wanted to explain," she said hotly, "I didn't start the name I-"

"Wow. Some apology, Princess," Sirius scoffed.

"Why would I apologize?"

"Why wouldn't you?!"

"You think I _want_ to have trouble saying your name? You think I don't want to call you Sir...Seel…" Fei stamped her foot. "None of this is my fault! I was talking to Andromeda about you and Lucius overheard me saying your name and-"

"God. You are such a royal pain in the arse! Why are you even here? The Sorting Hat didn't even want you in this school!"

Fei was at a loss of words. What was he talking about?

"We all saw it! It took him so long to figure out where to put you and it was such a struggle. He had to place you somewhere in order to stop him from being ripped in half!"

"T-That's not true," Fei protested, "He was...I didn't...He said…"

"JUST GO BACK TO WHERE YOU BELONG!"

His voice rang out as clear as a bell throughout the Entrance Hall. A cluster of birds flew out from a painted tree in a painting behind him while other portraits looked at him in shock.

For the second time at school, Fei felt her eyes burn but this time, she was too tired to make it go away. No one cared what she said back home and now here, no one seemed to understand her.

"I don't...I don't know where that would be," she said soft enough for him to hear and her tears began to fall.

A look passed over Sirius' face that Fei had never seen on him but she didn't have time to get a longer look because two pairs of hands wrapped around her shoulders and turned her away sharply from him.

"Too far, Sirius," Andromeda scolded, standing firmly on the steps between Sirius and Fei, as if he would attempt to charge at her, "You are taking your anger out at the wrong person."

"What are you going to do? Tell my mummy?" Sirius said mockingly.

"Shut your trap, Sirius, or I'll shut it for you," Lily said in a low but dangerous tone as she helped Fei down the steps, "It's all fun and games when you and James mess with people but now you can't handle it when the tables have turned."

"...Remus and Peter help out sometimes too."

"You can shut up too, Potter!" Lily snapped. No one said anything more as Lily took Fei down the steps.

"Why aren't my words working, Lily?".

Lily's grip on Fei tightened. "It's not your fault, Fei. We'll fix it together. I promise."

Andromeda caught up with them when they got to the bottom of the stairs. "Don't let that git ruin your day, Fei. If you still feel up for it, we can go watch the tryouts together."

"Severus should already be there," Fei said quietly, "He and Mulciber have been helping Avery get ready since this morning."

"Excellent," Andromeda said.

"Ugh. Quidditch," Lily groaned, "Why is it such a big deal?"

Andromeda snorted again and she threw her arms over the first-years. "Alright, you two. Come along. Professor Andromeda Black is about to give you a lesson of a lifetime."


	11. The Slug Club

**Ch 11 - The Slug Club**

A few weeks passed by and still no word from Fei's father regarding the bone broth. Professor Slughorn had told Lily that he would be happy to supervise the making of the potion but only had half the listed ingredients. They would need to work together to find a way to gather the rest, which were the bone of a Babblefish, the horn of a Grindylow, and the egg whites from an Occamy egg.

Slughorn had promised he would reach out to his connections to see if any of his friends had some to spare so when he stopped Severus, Lily, and Fei after Potions one afternoon, they all hoped that he had some good news for them.

"I've been hosting suppers in my office with some of the older students. Why don't you three join us this evening before dinner? It's just a little party with a few rising stars, I've got Noel Pertinger coming - Do you not know him? Charming boy. If he's anything like his father, he'll be a hit with the ladies. Don't say I didn't warn you, Lady Fei. Miss Evans. - Well, there's also Lucius Malfoy, surely that name will ring familiar?" he said with a chuckle and twiddled the ends of his walrus mustache, "He's the current prefect for Slytherin, Miss Evans."

"Yes. I am aware," Lily said while Fei tried not to let her disappointment show on her face.

"We'd be happy to come," Severus replied solemnly but his black eyes glittered with anticipation, "We've been hearing good things about your suppers. From Lucius actually."

Slughorn was very pleased by that. "Splendid. Splendid. I was hoping to have you all sooner but seeing that you are first-years, I wanted you to settle in and get the hang of things before I invited you to the earlier suppers."

Fei frowned. She knew he actually was waiting to see who were the first years from unknown families that showed actual promise in their classes. She didn't want to go to supper with Slughorn. It would be one of Callista Malfoy's events all over again but before she could speak, Lily gave her hand a squeeze and she smiled at their Potions Master.

"Looking forward to it, Professor Slughorn and maybe we can find the time to discuss making the Enuntiaserum."

Slughorn laughed. "Ah. It is astounding that a first-year would even know something like that, Miss Evans. Yes. If there is time, we can talk about it. I actually got a letter from Tiberius McLaggen. He's becoming quite a prominent figure in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He said he might be able to get his hands on an Occamy egg for me."

Lily's squeeze turned harder and Fei returned the gesture while they tried to remain as calm as possible.

"So I'll see you all at supper then?"

"Yes, Professor Slughorn," Fei said breathlessly. They hurried out of the classroom with barely concealed glee. Even Severus had a small smile on his face.

"I guess miracles do happen," he said wryly, "But I doubt we'd be that lucky with the other two."

"We still haven't heard back from Fei's father yet," Lily said with more hope than Fei felt.

After dropping their school bags off in their rooms, they met back at the door to Slughorn's office, which was actually nowhere near the dungeons or the Potions classroom. It was on the second floor right above the room they had waited in before going into the Great Hall for their sorting. Severus had slicked back his hair, which although made it look greasier than ever, did give him a more put together and adult look. Lily had tied her hair into a tidy braid. Fei had changed nothing.

They were greeted with warm light, music, and Slughorn's booming laughter. The office looked to be much larger than the usual teacher's study. Tapestries of emerald, crimson, and gold hung from the ceilings and the walls to make it look like they were dining in a vast tent. A round, circular table was set up in the middle of the room. A dark purple cloth was draped over it and silver round platters were set on top. Near the front of the room, facing the door so he could see all who entered, was Slughorn, who raised a crystal cup filled with something dark brown.

"Ah! Lady Fei. Mr. Snape. Miss Evans. So happy you can join us. Find a seat. Find a seat!"

They were the last ones to arrive and unfortunately, that meant they had to split up. Severus swiftly took a seat with only one empty chair beside him and looked expectantly at Lily. Fei, unsurprised by Severus' choice, went to sit next to Lucius Malfoy, who gave her a thin smile when she sat down.

"Let's do some introductions for our new guests," Professor Slughorn said, clapping his hands as if this was his favorite game and there was a good chance it actually was, "Lady Fei is the granddaughter of the Emperor of Cathay."

He paused with dramatic effect but this was not news to anyone any more.

"And Mr. Snape and Miss Evans here are two of the most promising first-years I have ever encountered in Potions. They know their stuff. Might be able to give you a few tips, eh, Cuffe? - Barnabus Cuffe, here, is a fifth year at Hufflepuff - and has such a way with words but could use a little help in my class."

He gave a wink to Cuffe, who seemed to be taking no offense and in fact laughed along with his comment. The boy had a friendly air about him but no distinguishable features. Fei wasn't sure if she would be able to recognize him if she saw him outside of this room in the future.

But as Slughorn continued on with the introductions, she found that about everyone at the table. None of them piqued her interest the way it did with their host. It wasn't until Slughorn signalled supper to start that she found anybody worth paying attention to.

"Po!" she gasped when the elf appeared at her side and slid a plate of salad in front of her. He bobbed his head with a smile at her but said nothing.

"Ah, yes. I've gotten quite close with your- er...this house elf," Slughorn said, catching himself a little bit too late. It was agreed that Po's relationship with Fei would be kept a secret outside of those who had already known it before school started. "We get along fabulously. Isn't that right, Po?"

"Yes, Professor Slughorn," Po said and continued to serve the rest of the table, giving a small smile to Severus and Lily when he got to them.

"Knows how to make a good cocktail that one," Slughorn chuckled, "Wouldn't want him near the Potions classroom, though. He might beat me out of my job."

Lucius Malfoy snorted. "That would be the day. A house-elf teaching anything? How ridiculous."

"Why?" Fei asked.

Lucius was taken aback by her question. It was as if she was questioning the natural color of the sky. "B-Because, Lady Fei...They are simple creatures, who can do nothing else but serve their masters...And even then, their efforts are mediocre at best."

"Po is very smart," Fei said as Po shot her another smile and then disappearing into a shadowy corner, "He taught himself how to speak beautifully and even read a little."

"Oh? How do you know that?" Barnabus Cuffe sat up in his seat and when his eyes locked onto Fei's his whole demeanor changed. It was not friendly anymore. She felt as if though he was trying to read her mind. She did not care for it.

"I've come across him from time to time at school," she said coolly.

Lucius scoffed. "House-elves are not to be seen. Evidently he is already failing at his job."

"He is not failing," Fei said, raising her voice slightly.

"We met him when we snuck into the kitchens for a late-night snack," Lily blurted out, her face reddened as if she was embarrassed but Fei could tell it was because of anger.

"Tut! Tut, Ladies," Professor Slughorn chuckled, wagging his finger at her playfully, "You shouldn't be out of bed. I should really report to Professor MacGonagall about this but I won't. I cannot fault a student for getting a little peckish after a hard night of studying. As you can see, I...do some heavy reading at night too."

He patted his bulging belly.

"How did you find your way into the kitchens?" Barnabus asked, moving his attention to Lily, who turned even redder, "I'm a fifth year and I do not know myself."

"Come off it, Barnie," said a boy Slughorn had introduced as Noel Pertinger - he was a first-year and a fellow Hufflepuff, "Our common room is right off the kitchens. What are you trying to pull?"

He flashed Lily a smile that showed off all his straight, pearly white teeth. Fei remembered this was the boy Slughorn had said would be a "hit with the ladies".

"Just wanted to know her sources of information," Barnabus smoothly, settling back in his seat and started to eat his salad, "I've heard the first year Gryffindors are finding their way around the castle quite easily."

"If you are talking about James Potter and Sirius Black, then you'll have to go ask them yourself. I take no part in their shenanigans," Lily huffed, stabbing her salad harshly with her fork.

"Yes. They do know how to stir things up a bit, don't they?" Slughorn chuckled and took a long sip from his goblet.

"They should be expelled," Severus stated, "They do not pay attention in class. All they do is go off doing childish pranks. They are making a mockery of this school. If they are not here to learn, what are they here for?"

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far, Severus," Slughorn said, "They may not be doing quite as well in my class as you and Miss Evans - but then again, who is? - but from what I hear from the other professors, they hold their own in other subjects. Potter is very good on a broom, is he not? Would make a fabulous Quidditch player, most likely. I've been told he's already expressed an interest in trying out next year for the Gryffindor team when he's allowed to bring in his own broom."

Severus said nothing and scowled openly at his food.

"And Sirius Black!" Slughorn continued, ignoring Severus' sour expression, "That boy is doing very well in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms. Of course, I shouldn't be surprised. He comes from a very prominent family."

"Why isn't he here then?" Fei asked.

Slughorn's fork dropped onto his plate. "Wh-what was that my dear?"

"Why isn't he here?" Fei repeated and gestured around the table, "We are all here because of what we can do or who we know. If he comes from a good family and is doing well in school, then why isn't he here? Do you not see him as a...how did you put it?...rising star?"

Slughorn shifted uncomfortably in his seat and something flickered in his eyes that struck Fei. "Lady Fei, I think every student here has a potential of becoming someone great."

Fei narrowed her eyes. She was about to speak more about it but then the second course was served and Po returned to her side with a bowl of soup. It was green and thick with a few green stalks of something Fei didn't recognize poking out of it.

"Hrmm," Slughron said as he leaned forward to inspect his bowl, "I asked for pumpkin soup but the kitchen's must've gotten it wrong. Looks to be cream of asparagus."

"You were saying about how smart house elves were?" Lucius said smugly to Fei.

Po bowed to Slughorn. "Apologies, Professor Slughorn. This was the soup that was given to me. I will check with the other house elves now."

"Not your fault, Po. Not your fault. You were busy setting the room up for me. This was not your mistake," Slughorn said, "It's fine. I can live with cream of asparagus. Now. Shall we dig in?"

There was a shrill scream from Lily's side of the table but it was not her who made that sound. It was the boy next to her, Noel. "Slugs! SLUGS!"

Everyone gasped in horror as the stalks in their soup turned into slimy, thick slugs by the mere touch of a spoon. Some people leapt out of their chair, rattling their bowls and splattering the green liquid across the dark tablecloth and down to the ground.

"Well, I never!" Slughorn bellowed as he pointed his wand at the table and sent the whole thing away somewhere, clearing the room.

_Bon Appetit! _

The words appeared in the wet spots of the carpet and Fei's hand flew to her mouth. Lucius reached the same conclusion at the same time.

"This was Sirius Black's doing! He did something similar at my mother's party, remember?!" he hissed to Professor Slughorn, who was turning quite purple in the face.

"Everybody...I am sorry but it looks like supper is cancelled," Slughorn said slowly, trying very hard to keep his composure, "If you leave now, you might still be able to catch the end of dinner in the Great Hall. Off you go."

"But Professor-" Lucius started to say but then Slughorn looked at him sharply.

"I will not go about accusing students without legitimate proof, Mr. Malfoy, now if you please excuse me, I will need some privacy to investigate this further. Now, off...you...go!"

Fei couldn't tell who was more livid at Slughorn's show of fairness, Lucius or Severus. She, however, was pleasantly surprised both by this and how he kind he was to Po. She found herself not leaving the room with the others but staying at the table. She waited until they were alone and then touched him gently on the elbow.

"Professor Slughorn?"

He was lost in his own thoughts and he jumped at her touch."Y-Yes, Lady Fei?"

"Thank you for this evening. I look forward to our next supper," she said.

A small smile appeared on Slughorn's face. "Thank _you_, Lady Fei. Have a good night, dear."

"I hope you do too," Fei said and then left the room.

When she reached the Great Hall, Lily was already in the middle of a lecture to Sirius and his friends, who were roaring with laughter. Severus was back at the Slytherin table, glowering in their direction.

"Why on earth would you do that to Professor Slughorn? He means no harm! Do you know how upset he was? You've ruined his night!"

"Oh, relax, Evans!" James said, "It's not like any of you will starve. Besides, why are you automatically coming to us for this? WHat makes you think this was us?"

"Oh, please!" Lily scoffed. "Of course it was you lot. Who else would it be?"

"Prove it," Sirius said with a grin.

"You've done this before in front of Lucius Malfoy and Professor Slughorn. Don't think you'll get away with this, Sirius. You've pranked a _teacher!_"

"So I messed with his precious supper club. So what? I already told him I wanted no part of it but he was so persistent. He wouldn't take no for an answer so...consider this my final answer," Sirius grinned.

"H...He was sad," Fei said. She walked up slowly to them as if approaching a bear, "Slughorn...when I asked him why you couldn't come, he was sad. I think he very much wanted you there."

Sirius scoffed. "Because of my family. That's why."

"That might be true," Fei admitted, "...But he still thinks you could be something great and wants to help you. Why is that bad?"

"It's none of your business," Sirius shot back.

"That is also true," Fei said, choosing her words slowly and carefully, "...But tonight Professor Slughorn said something very kind about...about someone he didn't need to be kind to...Someone very important to me so...I'm going to speak up for Professor Slughorn. You...You might think I'm a loy-...roy-royal pain...but at least I'm not hurting people who don't deserve it."

The boys were no longer laughing or even smiling. There was a small pudgy boy with a sharp nose and black watery eyes, who looked especially guilty. No one met Fei's eyes except for Sirius, who stared at her back unabashedly but she could still tell that her words hit home.

"Come on, Fei. Let's go grab some food and eat somewhere else. I can't stand looking at them," Lily said with disgust, grabbing Fei by the arm and pulling her away.

"Wait!"

Sirius got to his feet and walked towards them. He stood close enough for Fei to smell the lingering aromas of the Hogwarts kitchen.

"I...I'm sorry," he said low enough for only Lily and Fei to hear, "I didn't mean what I said on the stairwell the other day. I didn't mean to call you a royal pain."

"Which time?" Fei asked.

Sirius blinked.

"You...called me that on the Hogwarts Express...When you didn't think I could hear you."

Sirius sucked in a breath but before he could answer or come up with a proper apology, Fei put up a hand to stop him.

"It's okay. We never said we were friends."

"No. It's not okay. I really _am_ sorry, Fei," Sirius insisted, "Let me make it up to you. Meet me out on the Quidditch field tomorrow."

Lily narrowed her eyes. "Doesn't Gryffindor have their first Quidditch practice that day?"

Sirius grinned, returning to his usual confident but relaxed self. "MacGonagall owes me a favor."

Lily and Fei looked at him in utter shock. "P-Professor MacGonagall? How?"

Sirius snorted. "No, you daft twits. _Mary_ MacGonagall. She's the keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. James and I managed to sneak some of Slytherin's Quidditch strategies to her - No. I won't tell you how we did it, Evans so just drop it - Professor MacGonagall is her aunt. She usually submits the field requests so she can give us a bit of free time on the stadium. Probably 15 minutes...30 if we're lucky."

"Why would I want to play Quidditch?" Lily asked, "I don't even have a broom."

Sirius grinned directly at Fei. "You may not have a broom, Lily...but _Fei_ has-"

"Xiao!" Fei gasped, "I...I can ride Xiao! The Quidditch field is outside the castle. He's allowed there! Oh! Thank you! Thank! Thank you!"

It was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her and she threw her arms around his neck for a hug.

"Easy, Fei! If this is your reaction now, you might strangle me the day of," Sirius said. His face was starting to turn a little red as he pried Fei off of him.

The sound of Lily's stomach growling reminded them that dinner was nearing to an end. They left with an agreement to meet up with Sirius on Saturday once he had a time confirmed. Fei was so happy about the chance to finally fly with Xiao again that she didn't even care that Severus was giving her the most scathing glare she had seen yet.


	12. What Goes Up

**Ch 12 - What Goes Up...**

"Alright, Black, you have the field for 10 minutes. No complaints. You're lucky you got anything more than five," Mary McGonagall said sternly when Sirius, Fei and Xiao met her on the Quidditch field at noon the next day. Fei had been in the stand before to watch the Slytherin try-outs but it was an altogether different view when she stood at the center on the grass. The goalposts looked as tall as mountains and she could only see the bottom of the stands, which stood on tall wooden stilts.

"I see you brought an audience with you," Mary continued, eyeing Hagrid and Lily, who were standing on the sidelines waving cheerfully at them. James had come along as well as the other two boys that seem to be hanging around Sirius and James more often. The boys stood on the other side of Hagrid.

There was a strong family resemblance between the younger McGonagall and the professor, especially when in an authoritative role. It was the way their jaws were set when they weren't talking. She gave a quick nod to Madam Hooch, who stood next to her with her own broom in hand.

"Madam Hooch is here too to keep an eye out on you just in case," Mary said.

Fei would've liked to correct Mary and tell her that there was no need for adult supervision - she and Xiao had flown together practically every day before she left Cathay. However, she only had 10 minutes and she did not want to waste any time.

"Thanks, Mary," Sirius said, "But why do we only get 10 minutes? You guys don't start practice until 1:00."

Mary's eyes flicked to Fei and Fei understood. "You don't want me to see the Gryffindor team."

"No offense," Mary said without batting an eye, "Just don't want you to slip out any information to Laughalot."

"I wouldn't even know what to tell him or even who he was," Fei said and then she looked to Madam Hooch, "May Xiao and I fly now?"

"Yes but don't go too fast or past the goalposts. Based on how you ride your broom, I'll admit, Lady Fei, that I am not confident in your skills when airborne." With that, Madam Hooch mounted her broom and shot up five feet into the air.

"Brooms are different. They can't think," Fei said to no one in particular and then climbed onto Xiao's back, rearranging her robes and sitting with a leg on either side of him. She was determined to show Madam Hooch how well Xiao could fly, even if it meant forgoing the more polite style of sitting.

"Let's go."

Without another word, Xiao took off into the air, Fei's hair flying behind her like a black streamer. They swept up high until Xiao was eye level to the tallest goal post and then plunged down sharply. Fei laughed but her voice was swept away by the wind. She opened her arms, using only her legs for balance, while Xiao went upwards and wove in and out of the goalposts. He then streaked directly across the field. Just when he was about to go through the tallest goalpost there, he looped suddenly up and over, sending Fei temporarily falling but then landing on Xiao's back just as quickly.

Fei heard a shriek of horror, heavy clapping, and cheering, but she didn't pay any attention to it. She just wanted to focus on Xiao, this moment, and this feeling. For five glorious minutes, they danced across the skies. Then Fei leaned in closer to Xiao.

"Let's go get Sirius."

Xiao let out a trill and then they landed gracefully right in front of the boy, who was frowning at her.

"You have five more minutes, you know."

"I know! Climb on. Don't waste time," Fei said and swiftly knotted her hair into a tight bun. She used a quill to hold it all in place.

"I-Really?!" But he didn't wait for an answer. He didn't even need Xiao to lower himself as the bird did for Fei. He just pulled himself right up and got behind her, holding her tightly around the waist. He grinned like a madman to his friends, who had rushed onto the field.

"I didn't know we get turns. I want next!" James said.

Sirius smirked. "Sorry, lads. Get your own Cathayan royalty."

They flew up in the air, leaving behind the jeering and shouting that were swiftly drowned out by the rushing winds and Sirius' own joyous hollering, still clinging on to Fei. As Xiao maneuvered up and around the Quidditch field, Sirius got bolder and bolder and soon, he was grazing the front of the Quidditch stands with his outstretched hand and then flying without holding onto anything at all.

"This is the best feeling in the world!" he shouted.

Fei couldn't have agreed more. She closed her eyes and that's when it happened.

One second she was flying around with the wind in her face and the next, she was hurtling towards the ground. The world became a blur. Fei could not tell what was up and what was down, or even how close she was to impact. She couldn't even move her eyes. Her whole body felt like it had turned to stone and she was losing the feeling in her toes.

She heard Lily and Hagrid scream, "Fei!"

She landed with a heavy thud into Hagrid's arms. She was as rigid as a statue and her unblinking eyes stared upwards into his horrified and hairy face. The numbness was spreading up her legs, past her waist, and then she couldn't feel anything in her fingers.

"I go' yeh, Fei. Yer alrigh' now, yeh hear?"

But she couldn't nod or respond.

"It came from over there!" she heard James snarl.

Xiao's melodic trill washed over her like a warm bath and suddenly, she could move again. She sat up in Hagrid's arms just in time to see James and Sirius pull out their wands.

"And what do you think you'll be doing with those?" Madam Hooch shouted, still in the air. She soared over their heads towards the castle, "I'll go see if I can catch the culprit. Hagrid, take them back to the castle and get her to the hospital wing!"

Everything happened so fast that Fei's mind became a blur. People were shouting and screaming. Lily was crying while Xiao started to circle them overhead. They started to move very fast with her and Hagrid at the front. The shouting didn't stop. She couldn't tell whose voice was whose. It felt like she was in a dream or that she had somehow been engulfed in water. She didn't know when she even got to the hospital wing. She barely registered drinking a thick potion but she couldn't even tell how it tasted.

"Fei?! Fei!"

Sirius' face came into view and her eyes focused. He was kneeling over her and shaking her by the shoulders.

"Mr. Black!" Madam Pomfrey gasped, "Do not jostle her like that! Get off the bed immediately!"

Sirius did not budge but he did drop his hand from her arms. "FEI! Snap out of it!"

His dark grey eyes connected with hers and everything started to clear up. The blood had drained from his face and there was a wildness in his eyes. He was panicking.

"I'm...I'm okay," Fei said. and then she drew in a breath, "What happened?"

The panic lessened and it was replaced by worry. Finally, Sirius moved from the bed and Fei saw that Mary was sitting at the edge of the hospital bed next to her, with her head in her hands. Hagrid, Xiao, James and the other two boys stood around her. The other two boys had concerned looks on their faces while James looked furious.

"Wh-where's Lily?" Fei asked.

Sirius got off the bed but stood closely at her side. "She went to go find Professor Dumbledore," Sirius said which elicited a pained moan from Mary.

"He'll ge' ter the bottom o' this, Fei," Hagrid said. He gave her a weak smile and Fei could tell that he was just as shaken about what happened as she was.

"I'm okay, Hagrid," she said softly, "Thank you."

"They're never going to let me do field requests now...And oh! Merlin's beard! Does this mean Quidditch practice is cancelled? Ugh! Could today get any worse? The team is going to kill me."

"Perspective, Miss McGonagall," Madam Pomfrey said sharply, "Lady Fei could've actually been killed."

Fei gasped and looked between Xiao and Sirius. "Are you two okay? Did...did you guys fall too?"

Sirius shook his head while Xiao let out a low trill. "We were fine. I'm not sure what happened to you. You just went all rigid all of a sudden and fell like a rock."

James glowered. "Someone hexed you, Fei. I know it. Hit you with a body-binding spell or something."

The door slammed open and Severus came storming towards the bed. The glare on the Slytherin's faces only intensified when he saw the Gryffindors. James returned it threefold.

"What the hell are you doing here?" James asked.

"Confirming your most recent crime spree entails attempted murder," Severus snarled back. He swiftly moved to Fei's bedside, pushing Sirius out of the way. His features softened when he looked at her but his eyes were still cold and black. "What happened?"

"Just a bit of a shock," Madam Pomfrey said brisky.

Fei frowned. "Then...why did I drink a potion?"

"For your nerves, dear," Madam Pomfrey said but then she smiled, "If you can recall drinking a potion, then you are improving immensely already. You were very shaken when you were brought in. I didn't think you even heard a word I said."

"This is exactly why you should not affiliate yourself with —" Severus' eyes flitted to Madam Pomfrey and then back at Fei, "The likes of Black and Potter ." He spat their names out like they left a nasty aftertaste.

"We weren't the one that attacked her, you tosser," Sirius growled.

Severus held out his arms and gestured to the room. "And yet here we are."

James and Sirius both had to be held back by the other two boys.

"How do you think this is my fault?!" Sirius shouted. He was able to shrug off his friend, who was a lot shorter than him and easily overpowered. James, though, seemed to have some trouble shaking off the boy in loose robes. The boy might've been skinnier than James but he had a strong grip.

"Gentlemen! Gentlemen!" Madam Pomfrey said shrilly, "This is the hospital wing. Lady Fei needs her rest. If you cannot behave, I will have to ask you to leave."

Severus turned away from Fei and he smiled coolly at the boys. "Yes. You may go, Silliest. I can take it from here."

"Why are you here, Snivellus?! How did you know Fei was in the hospital wing?" James demanded.

"I have a right to be concerned with my friend," Severus hissed.

"Friend? Ha! That's a load of dragon dung," Sirius barked, "It's obvious you only tolerate Fei's existence because Lily likes her."

"She is my friend," Severus insisted.

"That's not very convincing, Severus," Sirius said and then his eyes narrowed. "Unless you came here because you were behind the hex."

"Believe me, Silliest, if I was to cast a hex, it would be on you or Potter," Severus replied and then turned to Fei, "Did you see who cast it?"

Fei shook her head. "I...I don't know. I closed my eyes. I didn't see anything. I —" She stopped. Now that she got a good look at Severus' face, she could see that it was etched with worry and that something else was nagging at him. "What's wrong?"

"He knows we suspect him and we're RIGHT!" Sirius shouted but Fei knew that to be false. She just knew it.

Severus pointed a finger at Sirius. "You are barking up the wrong tree if you think I was behind any of this!"

Something nasty was at the tip of Sirius' tongue. Fei could tell but then, so could Madam Pomfrey.

"That's it! Out! Out! All of you!" she said and even shooed Mary off the bed, "Visiting hours are officially over. Good-bye! No, Hagrid. You can stay. "

But just when she was about to close the door on the students, Professor Dumbledore strode through with Lily behind him. Madam Pomfrey was so taken aback by the sudden entrance, she didn't even react when the people she was pushing out did a swift turn and walked right back in at Dumbledore's heels.

"Severus!" Lily gasped, "What are you doing here?"

Severus averted his gaze and he turned back to Fei. There was a faint blush to his cheeks and it hit Fei all at once. He was watching us...

"How are you, my dear?" Dumbledore asked, sitting on the edge of the bed where Mary was just moments before. Severus stepped to the side. Dumbledore took Fei's hands into his own and his blue eyes glittered with concern, "I heard you had yourself a bit of a fright."

"Go' knocked righ' ou' o' the sky, she did," Hagrid said, "Luckily, I managed to catch her 'fore she landed on her head."

"Xiao is a great flyer. This is not his fault. Please don't forbid us to fly," Fei said hurriedly and then she added before Dumbledore could say anything, "It's not Mary McGonagall's either so don't punish her or the Gryffindor Quidditch team for this."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Notice she didn't jump to your defense, Black?"

"Why would she? I was a victim too," Sirius hissed.

Dumbledore raised a hand for silence but kept his attention on Fei. "I assure you, punishment is never my intention. I merely want to get to the bottom of it...but I'll ask you questions tomorrow. I only came here to make sure you are alright."

He got up to his feet after one more gentle pat on her hand. "But...as for the others, I would ask that you all join me in my office so you can recount what had happened. I have already heard Miss Evans' side of the story and Madam Hooch will be joining us shortly to share hers. Hagrid, that goes for you as well. Lady Fei, I will allow Xiao to stay by your side tonight but just this once. He should go back to Hagrid once Madam Pomfrey has deemed you well enough."

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore," Fei said.

"I'd like to stay with Fei," Lily piped up.

"Likewise," Severus said with less eagerness.

Dumbledore gave them a smile of approval and then he herded everyone else out of the room. As the door closed behind him, Madam Pomfrey let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Peace at last!" Madam Pomfrey said, "I can hear myself think!"

Fei sank into the pillow. Madam Pomfrey was right. With everything quiet and still, Fei could finally organize her thoughts and figure out what happened. She wasn't the only one, of course.

Lily rushed to Fei's side. "Oh! It was awful! It happened so fast! It was a good thing Madam Hooch and Mary had their brooms. Are you okay?"

"It was a hex or a jinx of some sort. I saw it," Severus said softly and he looked out the window to avert the girls' eyes, "I...I came to check up on you because I just knew something bad was going to happen. I didn't get close enough to see you but I did hear Madam Hooch say to go to the hospital wing."

Fei blinked and she realized what had happened. "You thought it was Lily that got hurt. Madam Hooch flew off and said take " her" to the hospital wing. She didn't say a name."

"I did," Severus admitted without hesitation.

"Severus was worried about you too," Lily said hurriedly.

"I know. I saw it in his face. He was relieved that it wasn't you...but he was still concerned," Fei said and she looked to Severus, who went back to staring out the window.

"Oh. Don't be so stubborn," Lily scolded Severus, "It's okay to have a friend other than me."

"What did you see? The hex, that is," Fei asked.

Severus frowned. "A streak of yellow light, from high up in the sky"

"Yellow light?" Lily asked, "Is that how you can tell it was a hex?"

Severus shook his head. "No...if it was a curse, Fei's fate would've been more gruesome. It might just be a jinx or maybe even a stunning spell."

"James said it could've been a body binding hex," Fei replied and ignored the look of disdain on Severus' face, "I felt heavy...Like I had become stone. Is that what happens in a body binding hex?"

Severus, who was better and more knowledgeable at both Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts than Fei, frowned even more. "It sounds like a jinx that turns your body into a statue."

Lily gasped. "That's right. You...your whole body was turning greyish white. It spread from your feet upwards but when it was about to get to your head, Xiao called out to you and then it all went away."

Fei turned to the bird, who lowered his head to bump lightly against hers. She smiled. "Thank you, my friend."

She looked into Xiao's eyes and for a brief second, she thought she heard a soft voice whisper inside her head.

_You are welcome, friend._


End file.
